The King, The Lion and The Rose
by RosieShiba
Summary: Mustang has problems, two in fact: his twin siblings. One wants to cause trouble, the other wants him to marry a certain Lieutenant. Royai, EdxOC, AlxOC, WinxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all. This is a new Fic I've been working on. Hope you enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. Aren't you glad I don't?**

**Quick Summary: Roy's two younger twin siblings re-enter his life suddenly. The eldest, by 12.5 minutes, is Leo a slighty dumb boy who always gets into trouble. The other is Rosalie, the younger one. She's the smart and independant one.**

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Chapter One – Hello, Good Bye

Rosalie looked down at her older brother as he did his boots up. He had donned the blue military uniform, which she had to admit looked good on him, with some uneasiness a few hours before. He was concentrating hard on his boots. The longer he took doing this it would mean it'd be less time for her to ask questions. Rosalie was a pretty intelligent for a girl of her age. She had been born a good ten years after he was but that was no excuse for her. Her twin, Leo, was a different matter. While Leo was proud of his brother for enlisting in the military, Rosalie was apprehensive about the whole thing.

"What?" her elder brother growled suddenly, fed up of feeling her staring at his back.

"Come back," she said simply, "Don't die."

"Why does everyone assume I'm going to die?" he asked getting to his feet quickly.

"You said it yourself," Rosalie snapped, "You never know when you will die in a ditch."

"Oh sure," her brother said with a smirk, "Jinx me before I even start."

"Brother," she said with a sigh. Her brother turned to put his hands on her shoulders. He was giving her a sincere smile.

"I promise," he said, "I'll be back before you know it. When I come home you'll be so fed up of me in a short space of time you'd be wishing I was gone again."

"I would never want you to go," Rosalie said, a stray tear trickling down her cheek. Her brother wiped it away with his finger.

"Lee," he said soothingly, "I'm sorry I have to go but it's something I need to."

"Are you going to Master Hawkeye's?" she asked abruptly.

"Yeah," he answered after a pause. Rosalie nodded.

"I don't see why you don't just go marry his daughter and stay away from this whole thing," she said with a crafty smile. Her brother chuckled.

"You won't give up on that will you?" he asked.

"No," Rosalie smirked, "Ever since I heard you call her name in your sleep I've realised you're in love with her."

"Well when I get back you can harass me over it as much as you want," he said. Rosalie nodded.

"I'll hold you to that," she smiled back.

"Hold him to what?" came the voice of Rosalie's older twin. Leo frowned as he saw Rosalie talking to their brother. She'd been trying to get him to quit the military since he returned home from training. She didn't seem to understand the honour of being in the military, but then again she was a girl, what would_ she_ understand?

"Don't give your sister too much grief, Leo," their brother said, ruffling his hair for what seemed the last time. Leo beamed up at his heroic brother. Rosalie went back to frowning.

"Yes, sir," Leo said with a snappy salute.

"Wrong hand, genius," Rosalie muttered. Leo paused, realising she was right. He blushed while their brother laughed at them both.

"Look after each other until I get back," he said, "And that means don't kill each other."

"OK," they both replied in an upset way. They had really been looking forward to fighting each other without their brother telling them off. He knew what they were like.

"Bye Leo, bye Lee," he said as he started walking down the garden path.

"Bye, brother!" Leo shouted.

"Keep yourself safe!" Rosalie chorused, "And don't do anything stupid!"

"Roger!" came his reply.

The twins stood on the doorstep until he was out of view and even when he had disappeared they remained glued to the spot. After a while Rosalie turned to go back into the house. Leo followed her not soon after.

"So what do we do now?" he asked as he watched his sister busy herself in a book. She glanced at him.

"Now, dear moron," she said with an air of sophistication, "We wait for him to return."

"When will that be?" Leo asked. Rosalie shrugged.

"As long as it takes," she replied after a while.

---X---

_Six Years Later_

Rosalie was sweeping the back step while her foster mother was out at work. She leant on the brush with glum satisfaction at her work. The twelve year old girl was miserable beyond belief. She'd learnt every bit of alchemy she could lay her hands on and now she was being scolded for practicing. It wasn't her fault she had the incredible knack to blow up everything she touched. She sighed deeply. Damn them. Damn them all. She stopped. Somewhere in the distance she could hear laughing. What a time to be laughing she thought throwing her brush on the floor in annoyance. It had been a year since the end of Ishbal and still not a word from her brother. It was no laughing matter. She stormed tot he end of the garden path ready to glare at the people who were laughing.

She stopped as she saw the two criminals come into view. Her frown dissolved into a warm smile as she saw the haughty form of her brother with his arm round a blonde haired woman. He was laughing as he told a story to her while she was merely smiling at him, obviously not finding the story that funny.

"OI ROY!" Rosalie yelled at the top of her lungs. Her brother stopped dead in his tracks looking at her like he'd seen a ghost. "I THOUGHT I YOU SAID I COULD HARASS YOU AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE OVER HER BUT I CAN'T IF YOU'VE ALREADY MARRIED HER, DAMN IT!"

"WHO SAYS I'VE MARRIED HER?" Roy yelled back. Rosalie laughed loudly as Roy went an odd red colour as the woman beside him laughed at the two.

"Welcome home, Roy," Rosalie said, "It's took you long enough!"

"What are you shouting at?" asked Leo, popping his head out the kitchen door. He ran over to Rosalie at the end of the garden path. "ROY! You're home!"

"Well done genius," Rosalie moaned.

"Hey, who's the girl?" Leo asked as his brother and companion came closer.

"This is Riza Hawkeye," Roy introduced. Leo narrowed his eyes at the woman not completely convinced who she was.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Leo asked.

"I hope she is cos I would miss out on a whole lot of bothering if they were married," Rosalie said.

"And you envy me for having siblings," Roy said to Riza. Riza sighed as the three of them started to fight over who she was. This was going to be a long holiday...

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Please review with your thoughts!!!!

**RSx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Woo Chapter Two!!! **

**Please Read and Review :) Please!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA...**

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Chapter Two - First Day

Leo Mustang stood shaking outside the doors of General Grumman's office. He was terrified about being stood there waiting for the old man to ask him to enter the room. He knew about Grumman after all. The man was a hero when all said and done. He had a reputation as a mean working machine.

The door opened and the old man stepped out into the hall.

"Please, follow me," he said. Leo snapped a salute, this time with the right hand, before following the General into the office.

The General went straight to his desk where a brown envelope was sat. Grumman sighed before opening it and pulling out a creamy white piece of paper.

"Oh my," the General said suddenly, "This simply can't do."

"What's wrong, sir?" Leo asked. The General shook his head.

"Nothing," he said, "I feel like I'm going to get confused. I didn't realise who you were, my dear boy."

"Yeah, people don't usually realise it," Leo admitted.

"Leon Dresil nee Mustang," the General said with a pause, "I here by award you with your gold pocket watch to certify that you are now a State Alchemist. From this day forth you shall be known as the Lion Alchemist. Accept your duty."

"Yes, sir," Leo said. Grumman smiled at the young boy before him. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a black box.

"Here is your pocket-watch," Grumman went on, handing the box to Leo.

"Thank you, sir," Leo replied. He opened the box carefully looking at the gold watch with hungry eyes. After all those years of waiting he was finally where he wanted to be. After waiting so long he had finally reached his goal. Rosalie was going to kill him.

"I suppose I should assign you to a CO," Grumman said. He picked up the receiver of his desk phone, dialling a number ever so quickly. He waited for the other end to pick up.

"Colonel Roy Mustang's Office," came a man's voice from the receiver, just loud enough for Grumman to hear.

"Is Lieutenant Hawkeye there?" Grumman asked cheerfully. Leo glanced at the man. Hawkeye? Where did he recognise that name from? There was another pause. "Oh my dearest Elizabeth. How have you been?"

"I'm fine, sir," replied Elizabeth taking that 'you-shouldn't-be-phoning-me-at-this-hour' tone of voice.

"Good, good," Grumman continued, "This is not a social call, my dear. Could you please tell me if you have room for another Alchemist in your office?"

"I'm not sure if the Colonel would want another Alchemist," Elizabeth replied, ignoring the 'her' office comment. Everyone knew she ran the office although she wouldn't admit it.

"Well then I will order him to make room," Grumman said cheerfully. He laughed heartily making Leo jump. This old man was crazy for sure. "I'll be bringing him down in five minutes sharp."

"The Colonel will be back somewhere round that time, sir," Elizabeth said with a sigh. Why did she have to work with the crack pot men? It was something she never signed up for.

"Cheer up, my dear, it won't be as bad as you think," Grumman said.

"No, it'll probably be worse," Elizabeth thought on the other side of the phone. Finding her voice she replied: "Of course, sir. We will be awaiting your arrival."

"Jolly good," Grumman said putting the receiver down. He turned now to Leo who was still looking at him curiously. "My granddaughter is such a good woman. She deserves such a good husband but as of yet I've only been able to find her one suitor."

"Only one?" Leo questioned, "Is there only one good enough for her, sir?"

"Well, that's questionable," Grumman said, "He's quite the charmer and the only one who she'd class as suitable. Alas it won't happen for a long time. Young lovers never make it on their own without a little push. Maybe you could help me."

"If I can, sir," Leo replied.

"Oh you will be loads of help, son," Grumman said with an evil glint in his eye. Leo thought he'd only imagined the evil glint because it appeared and disappeared so quickly. Grumman stood up and walked towards the office door. Leo followed him, dreading who he was being assigned to.

---X---

Riza Hawkeye's job wasn't the easiest on the planet. She worked with four incompetent subordinates, a short tempered teen whose brother was a walking, talking suit of armour, a procrastinating commanding officer whose best friend had the tendency to jam the phone lines with half an hour long phone calls trying to set him up with woman, not to mention the commander of the base who happened to be her grandfather. She sighed. She deserved a medal for all her work. Hell, she should be the one in Grumman's place instead of him. None-the-less, she was happy where she was now. Despite her crazy colleagues she honestly liked her job. However that could all change with the arrival of this new Alchemist. They were bound to cause problems. They would automatically be the rank of Major which would mean they would be above her. Trust higher ranking officers to try and establish their supremacy over their subordinates. Ed had never tried but then again he wasn't exactly the most pro-military Alchemist around.

The door swung open causing Hawkeye to jump out of her thoughts and quickly move back into soldier mode. Grumman entered the room with his usual cheery grin on his face. Hawkeye gave a snappy salute, as did the rest of her subordinates.

"At ease," Grumman said, gesturing for a person behind him to follow him in. A young boy followed him into the room. He couldn't have been older than sixteen. He had jet black hair and onyx eyes. He looked round the office like a little lost sheep. Grumman on the other hand was gazing round for Colonel Mustang, Hawkeye's CO. Mustang wasn't at his desk. "Erm... the Colonel?"

"He's out at the moment, sir," Hawkeye explained hoping that Grumman wasn't going to ask why. The truth was that Mustang had been in the office until he'd received an 'urgent' phone call from Hughes and was forced to take the phone call somewhere else, outside the building. Hawkeye didn't even threaten him this time. Mustang had left of his own accord.

"I've come to introduce a new officer for the Colonel," Grumman went on, "But I think I'll explain it to the Colonel when he arrives. Please continue working like I'm not here."

The other men in the office turned to look at Hawkeye. She would murder them if they returned to their sort of 'work' while Grumman was here. They turned back to their paper work. Hawkeye hadn't noticed this behaviour of her subordinates. She was eying the General up suspiciously. He had darted round using his usual pet name for the Colonel, that only being Mustang, but still. Grumman was sat smiling on the couch by the door like he was planning something grand. Hawkeye looked back at her new recruit. He looked familiar but she couldn't place his face. He was staring back at her, rather frowning at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked suddenly. Hawkeye blinked a few times.

"I'm sorry," she replied moving towards her own desk to get on with her own work. She couldn't help but feel the boy's stare on her back. It was beginning to bug her when the door swung open again.

"Stupid Hughes, dragging me out of my office to tell me about his stupid daughter," came the random mumblings of her commanding officer, "Maybe I should burn them both to shut him up."

"Is something the matter? Colonel?" asked Grumman from his seat on the couch. Mustang mustn't have seen the General because it sounded like he tripped over in shock.

"General Grumman? What a pleasant surprise," he said. Grumman stood up.

"I've come to deliver you a new subordinate," Grumman said gesturing towards the boy. The two stared at each other for the longest time. Grumman smiled. "Please be nice to him, Colonel."

Grumman left the room, closing the door behind him with a snap.

"What in blazer's name are you doing here?" Mustang roared at the boy. The boy cringed. The guys stopped working to look at the Colonel. Hawkeye sighed loudly.

"Sir, please don't shout at children," she said.

"I'm not a child!" the boy yelled at her.

"Don't shout at her like that!" Mustang barked back.

"Stop shouting at me!" the boy yelped. The guys looked at each other debating whether it was best to leave or not. They looked at Hawkeye, who signalled for them to leave. Thanking her with a look they rushed out of the office without Mustang even noticing. Mustang was sat in his chair glaring at the boy while the boy was glaring back at him.

"You have some explaining to do," Mustang told the boy.

"Hey, so have you," the boy replied.

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Chapter Three up soon! Promise!


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's another chapter for your liking. Things should get going soon, I promise! Thanks to all my reviewers :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**

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Chapter Three - Family Troubles

Hawkeye stood up at her desk ready to leave the office as Mustang and the new kid started to quarrel again.

"Why should I explain anything? At least I asked you before running off and joining the military," Mustang said, "Hawkeye, take another step and I will burn myself."

Hawkeye stopped just as she was about to put her hand on the door knob. She sighed making her way back to her desk, regretting not escaping with the guys. The boy was looking at her again.

"Who is this woman?" the boy asked.

"This is Lieutenant Hawkeye," Mustang explained, "She's my second in command."

"But now I will be since I out rank her," the boy said. Mustang shot him a look.

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped, "Hawkeye pretty much runs this office."

"Why you too lazy to do it or is it all woman's work?" the boy asked with a smile. Mustang tapped his fingers on the desk in annoyance.

"Woman's work?" he asked.

"Yeah," the boy replied. The door creaked open a little as the guys tried to see what was happening. It quickly shut again as Mustang sent out a flame barely missing the boy by a few inches.

"Blow my head off why don't you?" the boy yelled. Hawkeye moved out of the way as another fire ball went in the kid's direction.

"Sir, try not to destroy the office," she said dryly. Mustang froze in mid click, as if suddenly realising that Hawkeye was present. He relaxed slightly, sitting back down in his chair.

"Why are you here, Leo?" he asked as he rubbed his temples. The boy, otherwise known as Leo, stopped cowering besides Havoc's desk.

"Erm...I passed the exam?" he half asked, half answered. Mustang glanced at him.

"You are so dead when Lee finds out," Mustang said with a grin. Leo frowned.

"I know," Leo snapped, "But I've not seen her since that girlfriend of yours left. I think them too ran off together. All I got was a letter saying don't mess up and see you in a few years."

"They didn't run off together," Mustang groaned, "Hawkeye can you remember my sister?"

"Yes, sir," Hawkeye replied.

"Wait," Leo said, his jaw dropping. He pointed at Hawkeye, his eyes wide in shock. "She's the girl you brought back from Ishbal!"

"Girl?" Mustang asked, a nerve on his temple throbbing. Leo open and closed his mouth a few times.

"I thought she was just random nurse you picked up! I had no idea she was a soldier!" Leo roared, "Don't tell me you're dating her! Just think of the fraternization laws!"

"What is it with you and Lee presuming I'm going out with her!" Mustang yelled back. Hawkeye sighed edging towards the door ever so slightly but before she could put her hand on the door handle, the door flew open again. A cheery looking Maes Hughes was stood in the doorway wearing some casual clothes.

"Hey Roy!" he yelled happily, "Guess who came down for a visit."

However Mustang wasn't listening to him. Maes frowned as he saw the grown man argue with a smaller version of himself.

"I must be seeing things," Maes muttered. He turned to Hawkeye. "Care to explain?"

"If Lee were here she'd tell you to be an idiot to pull a stunt like that!"

"If Lee were here she'd be making wedding plans!"

"Well I wouldn't allow it! Hawkeye's not suitable for you! She's an army mule!"

"Who are you calling an army mule, shrimp?"

Maes seemed mystified over the whole situation. Again he looked at Hawkeye for answers.

"The boy is the Colonel's younger brother, Leon," she explained, "They always argue over girls."

"Why are they fighting over you?" Maes asked. Hawkeye gave him a glare. "Not like that. I mean if I weren't happily married then you'd be first in line but why are they fighting?"

"Mustang's younger sister wants me to marry him," Hawkeye said like it was nothing important. Maes glanced at her.

"And why's that?" he asked.

"She likes me," Hawkeye replied after a minute's pause.

"I'm telling you now! Apologise to Lieutenant – Maes?" Mustang shouted pointing at Hawkeye but looking directly at Maes for the first time. Maes waved.

"Who's this guy?" Leo asked.

"Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes," Maes offered the kid. Leo smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Leo said, "I'm Roy's younger brother."

"That's Colonel Mustang," Mustang growled.

"Say what?" Leo asked.

"You joined the military now, Leo, and you have to follow all the rules," Mustang said with a smirk.

"But... but..." Leo stammered.

"Be easy on him, Roy," Maes said, "He's only a kid."

"Even Ed calls me Colonel," Mustang said. Hawkeye sighed once more. He wouldn't say what Ed normally put after the Colonel. Maes laughed like he remembered a good joke.

"So why were you too arguing over Lieutenant Hawkeye? Do you both like her or something?" Maes asked with an evil shimmer in his eyes. Mustang grinned while Leo started floundering about, growing redder with each passing second.

"What? Me? No way..." Leo said. Maes looked towards Mustang for a second.

"You never said you had a brother, or a sister," Maes said quietly, "Everyone will start to assume he's your son."

"Is this some clever ploy to get me married again, Hughes?" Mustang asked, "The reason I never told you about my brother is because I would have to tell you about my sister who is twice as bad as you for trying to marry me off to women."

"I thought it was only that woman there," Maes whispered pointing discretely towards Hawkeye. Hawkeye and Leo were now talking to each other. Hopefully Leo was apologising for his stupidity but then again, it was Leo. Mustang looked at Hawkeye for a second.

"My sister knows me," was all he said.

---X---

Rosalie glanced down into the valley below her, wondering if she could find some clean water from a small river that ran into the bigger one at the bottom of the valley. She looked around. There was nothing around for miles. She paused for a second as she admired the view. She had the distinct feeling that one of her brothers had just done something very stupid...

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Chapter Four will appear soon and I will also update It's Not What You Think soon too.

Please Review!!!!!

RSx


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed :) Hope you like this next chapter because Ed and Al finally make an entrance!!! Woo!**

**Enjoy!!!**

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Chapter Four – Conspiracy

Edward Elric wasn't the most respected alchemist in the world but he got along well. It was widely known he was looking for the legendary Philosopher's Stone with his brother. The reason was unknown to most people. One of the people who knew of the reasons was Roy Mustang. It was also a universal fact that Roy Mustang and Edward Elric didn't exactly get along. Ed was sat tapping his foot on the floor impatiently with his arms crossed over his chest. He had been instructed to go to Mustang's office by General Grumman but the Colonel had not arrived yet.

"Where is he?" Ed asked in a whisper. Ed's younger brother, Al, shook his head.

"Brother, be patient," Al said, "The Colonel must have a good reason why he's late."

The door opened.

"Finally Mustang, where the hell have you been?" Ed snapped jumping up off the sofa shouting at the person closing the door behind them. The guy frowned at Ed. Ed froze on the spot. That wasn't Mustang.

"Sorry I thought you were the Colonel," Ed said rubbing his head.

"So you too?" the boy said, "Grumman decided to send you to the Colonel too?"

"Yeah," Ed said. The boy walked towards Ed holding out his hand.

"Leon Mustang," he greeted. Ed stared at Leo with his mouth open. If Al hadn't been a suit of armour then he would've been pulling the same expression.

"Mustang?" Ed and Al asked at the same time. Leo grinned.

"Yeah," he said with a slight blush, "I'm his younger brother."

"I didn't know the Colonel had any family," Al said.

"There's quite a few of us," Leo replied, "But Roy is the eldest."

The door opened a second time. This time it was the Colonel. He was reading a folder while drinking a mug filled with hot liquid. He didn't seem to mind the heat. He walked to his desk, sitting on his chair casually. He was flicking through the folder with keen interest. He looked up at the three teens in front on him.

"I think this is a bad idea," the Colonel said simply.

"What's a bad idea?" Ed asked.

"Grumman wants you three to go on a special mission for him," the Colonel explained, "But I have no idea why."

"What's the mission, sir?" Leo asked. Ed and Al gave him a weird glance as they realised what Leo had called his brother.

"Recon," Mustang explained, "Some big earthquake has led to some people being trapped in a mine not far from here. Grumman wants you to go and help the villages out."

"Sounds easy enough," Ed said. Mustang went back to reading the information in the folder like the three teens weren't there.

"Leo," he said slowly, "Why has Grumman called you back here?"

"I don't know, sir," Leo replied. This was an honest answer. Mustang could tell this by Leo's tone.

"Why do I get the idea that Grumman is conspiring against me when ever you are called back here?" Mustang mused, "I'm sure you three can work together well. Leo has been a State Alchemist for ten months now. So Fullmetal, try not to get him in too much trouble."

"I'm surprised you haven't got him in trouble yet," Ed muttered.

"By the way, Leo," Mustang went on, "They are big on roses in the city so beware of your allergies."

"Sir!" Leo said. He glanced towards the door as it opened a third time. Lieutenant Hawkeye walked across the room, placing a small pile of paper work on Mustang's desk. She glanced at Leo with a warm smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, major," she said, "I hope you're well."

"Yes, miss," Leo said with a blush.

"This has to be done by four, sir," she told Mustang.

"Sure, sure," Mustang replied airily.

She turned walking out of the room, closing the door behind her gently. Leo watched her move. Mustang shot him a look.

"I would prefer that you don't ogle my Lieutenant, Leo," Mustang said in an amused way.

"Sorry, sir," Leo said growing a deeper shade of scarlet. Mustang smirked.

"You are dismissed," Mustang ordered. As Ed, Al and Leo left the room, Mustang shook his head. What was it with Mustang men? He picked up a piece of paperwork and started to sign it.

"So you like Lieutenant Hawkeye then?" Al asked as soon as the door was closed. Leo groaned.

"Yeah," Leo admitted, "I have no chance though."

"Why not?" Ed asked, "She seems to like you."

"Well it's not that but my sister would kill me if she found out," Leo said unhappily. Al and Ed glanced at each other.

"Why?" they asked at the same time.

"Because my sister wants Roy to marry Lieutenant Hawkeye," Leo moaned.

"What?" the two brothers yelled.

"Does Lieutenant Hawkeye know about this plan?" Ed asked.

"What plan would that be, Edward?" asked Hawkeye from behind Al. The three boys turned slowly to look the blonde Lieutenant in the eyes. She looked amused after obviously hearing their conversation. The boys all went a funny red colour. She smiled at them in good humour. "What sort of crazy mission has my Grandfather decided to send you on then?"

"Simple recon," Leo replied. Hawkeye nodded.

"Please be careful," she said, "My grandfather likes putting people he likes in strange situations."

"Strange?" Al asked, growing more and more worried, "What are we talking about here? Is something like ghosts?"

"Ghosts?" Ed yelled, "There's no such things as Ghosts!"

"I'm sure we'll be fine, miss," Leo said trying to ignore the two brothers. Hawkeye grinned.

"Edward? Alphonse?" she said to the others. Ed and Al turned to her min sentence. Ed still had his mouth open. "Please don't try to join the conspiracy."

"What conspiracy would that be?" Al said raising his hands up.

"It's hard enough trying to get the Colonel to do work as it is without having more people to complain at," she muttered, before entering Mustang's office, leaving the three boys speechless.

"You know the Lieutenant can be quite different can't she?" Ed asked.

Hawkeye closed the door behind her with a sigh. Mustang glanced up at her, smirking.

"Are they OK?" he asked. She nodded as she leant against the door.

"Yes, sir," she replied, "They seem to be eager to work with each other."

"Hmm," Mustang said unconvinced by what she said, "I'm going to be harassed by Fullmetal when he returns, aren't I?"

"Probably, sir," Hawkeye admitted. Mustang turned back to his work. He scribbled his name on the bottom of a piece of paper.

"I'm glad they respect you too much to harass you," he said.

"Respect or are they too scared to harass me?" she asked. Mustang glanced up at her again.

"Both," he replied with a warm smile, "But at least they'll never hold power over you."

"Is that important?" Hawkeye asked, standing up straight. She frowned at her commanding officer like he had said something wrong.

"Yes it is, lieutenant," he said, "For a woman like yourself, no man should have power over you. It would be immoral for someone like you to be controlled like that."

"If you say so, sir," she replied.

"I hope I do not control you," he said.

"On the contrary, sir," she said, "I think I'm the one with the power in this relationship."

"And why's that?" Mustang asked.

"Because your sister is on my side," she replied making Mustang laughed heartily before casting his eyes back onto his paper work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Woo! Chapter Number Five!!!**

**I'll explain the relationship of the Mustangs' later so if you're confused just bare with it :)**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA...**

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Chapter Five – **Strange Reunions **

Rosalie wiped some sweat off her forehead. She looked down at the well she'd been digging. It had been hard work but it would be worth it. She glanced up at the guy who had been helping her.

"You tired?" he asked. She shook her head. She threw her shovel into the soil and stamped on it. "Easy there sunshine. You don't want to get to the other side of the world do you?"

"Depends," she replied but failed to go on. She scooped the earth away with her shovel, throwing it out of the pit.

"Easy there!" shrieked a voice from outside the pit. Rosalie guessed she'd accidently threw the dirt on someone.

"Sorry!" she yelled back. She glanced back at her partner. He was leaning on his shovel glancing at Rosalie with interest. "What?"

"You know you give all the men a run around," he said, "Are you sure you're a chick?"

She frowned deeply. She threw her shovel back into the ground.

"I am not a chick," she growled, "I am a girl. Not a bird. Human."

"I meant nothing by it," her partner protested.

"The sooner you learn to respect women as women, the sooner you'll get some," she murmured. Her partner seemed confused but he didn't dare ask her anything else. He began digging again. After a few minutes Rosalie wiped her forehead again.

"Are you sure you're OK?" her partner asked again. She nodded.

"It's just hot," she replied, "I'm not used to working in this heat."

"You don't come East often?" he asked.

"One day, Truker," Rosalie said waving a finger, "I swear I'll teach you proper English."

"My English is good, thanks," Truker retorted. Rosalie looked him up and down. If he had a little more IQ then he wouldn't be half bad, but Rosalie liked men with brains. She threw her shovel into the ground. Now that was a rarity. A man with a brain. Men lost their brains when they hit puberty and it returned in their fifties sometime. She sighed. If her brothers had brains they would be dangerous.

"What you thinking?" Truker asked.

"Nothing," she replied, "Just wondering how a man can rule a country."

"Why's that?" he asked glaring at her like she was insane.

"No reason," she added quickly. She didn't fancy getting into an argument. She swung her shovel over her shoulder. "That should be deep enough."

"If you're so clever why didn't you use Alchemy to do this?" Truker snapped.

"If I did all your work for you then it wouldn't be good economically. The shovels wouldn't need to be bought, or the rope, so the people who made the shovels wouldn't get money and probably starve," she said.

"Huh?" Truker asked.

"Climb up the rope you moron!" she yelled. She watched him suddenly start climbing rapidly up the rope. She smiled. She pulled a white piece of chalk out of her pocket. She began drawing a circle on the floor while Truker struggled to get out of the well. When she had finished drawing the circle she grabbed the rope, steadying herself so she could reach the floor and activate it. The floor disappeared underneath her feet. She climbed up the rope with ease.

When she was on the surface she looked over the rest of the work force. They ranged from teenagers to old men. She smiled at them.

"The well should be OK now," she said. She picked up a rag and began to rub her face with it. "How are they doing with the mines?"

"Not good I'm afraid," said a middle aged man wearing a flat cap and a pair of dungarees. He was a highly respected miner. Rosalie knew him as Butch but she didn't know his real name. Rosalie nodded at him.

"How far did they get?" she asked.

"Most of the rubble is hard to move," Butch explained. Rosalie tossed the rag over her shoulder.

"I'll get over there then," she said, "Those miners won't last much longer in there."

"They're sending us some Alchemists," said another man from the crowd, "Two state ones!"

"Oh great," Rosalie said, "The Military. Now we're in real trouble."

"I hear great things bout these state ones," the man continued, "They're much better than a little girl."

Rosalie didn't reply. She patted Truker on the back as a sign of good work before sprinting off towards the mine.

There had been several earthquakes in the East for a few weeks. They had seemed to stop now but they had left some real damage behind. Luckily Rosalie had been near this small mining town when the earthquakes hit. The town seemed to be the epicentre of the quakes so they would've been the worst hit. She hoped that the quakes hadn't extended as far as East City.

She stopped running as the mines came into view. There were still large crowds of men, women and children trying to dig out about thirty miners who had been trapped. Rosalie sighed. She jumped up on a mound of debris.

"Hey listen up!" she yelled, "I'm going to try something. Please evacuate everyone who shouldn't be here."

"We've got some state ones coming soon, girl, why should we listen to you?" yelled an angry voice from the crowd.

"Because," Rosalie said, "I know a 'state one' and they aren't the cleverest people around. So come on. Move it or loose it!"

The crowd began to move away from the mine towards the village. Rosalie sighed. This was going to be a hard day.

-X-

Leo was a peculiar guy. Once they were on the train he pulled out a book and began reading it slowly while Ed and Al began to talk about their mission. Leo didn't seem interested in discussing it at all. Ed and Al watched him for a while but Leo didn't seem to register he was being stared at. He didn't seem to register that there were people with him either.

"Do you think he's OK?" Al whispered to his brother. Ed shrugged.

"I think Mustang's gone to his head," Ed muttered under his breath. Leo turned over a page in his book and continued to read. Ed and Al exchanged glances again.

"So," Ed said slowly, attracting Leo's attention. Leo closed his book and looked at Ed. "You're Mustang's brother? I bet that gets you a lot of respect doesn't it?"

"Not really," Leo admitted, "My brother doesn't get out much. He sticks to his own office mostly so his influence is limited."

"Why can I believe that Mustang doesn't get out much," Ed laughed. Leo laughed too.

"So how long have you had this crush on Hawkeye?" Ed asked as soon as the laughter died away. Leo frowned. It wasn't an annoyed frown, but rather he was trying to find the answer.

"About eight months," Leo replied, "But it's just a crush. I mean I have no chance with her."

"Why do you think that?" Al asked.

"Lee," Leo replied bitterly, imagining his sister's reaction to hearing about his crush. He shuddered. "Let's just say my sister has issues."

"What's your sister like?" Al asked suddenly interested in Leo's sister. Leo smirked. Ed frowned as he realised that Leo's smirk was almost identical to Mustang's. It annoyed him. Leo just shook his head, opening his book and returned to his reading.

They remained in this odd silence for the rest of the journey to the mining town. There was no train station, there was just a mound of rumble next tot he train tracks where the train station used to be. Carefully Ed, Al and Leo stepped out of the train looking round at the surroundings. It didn't look like there was a standing building for miles around. There were piles of rubble everywhere from where houses used to be stood. The whole area seemed to be deserted.

"Wow," Leo muttered, "That was some earthquake."

"This doesn't look good," Ed agreed, "I wonder if there actually any people around here."

"Maybe if we spread out-" Al was cut short by a large explosion over towards the valley. The three boys looked at each other before running off to investigate.

They ran as fast as their legs could take them. There was another explosion. Leo and Ed dropped to the ground as everything seemed to shake. Al stopped in his tracks.

"What the hell?" Ed yelled. Leo rubbed his chin, which had contacted with the floor, as he looked up.

"What could be powerful enough to make the ground shake?" Leo asked.

"Alchemy!" Ed shouted. Ed got to his feet and ran off into the valley before either Leo or Al could mutter another syllable.

"Is your brother always like that?" Leo asked Al.

"Nii-san can be a little impulsive," Al admitted. Leo got to his feet.

"Let's make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble," Leo said. Al nodded and followed as Leo led the way down the valley.

-X-

Ed skidded to a halt at the bottom of the valley. There was a huge dust cloud covering the area. Ed shielded his eyes from the worst of it. He could see some shadows limping towards him. He froze. There was groaning. Ed started to back up as the dust started to settle on the ground. Ed sighed as he saw a gang of miners stumbling towards him. Some looked injured. Most of them had cuts and bruises over them but there were very few badly injured people in the crowd. A few were being supported by their friends as they limped in their walk. Ed smiled in a relieved sort of way.

His eyes settled on someone walking towards him. This was no miner. This was a girl. She was brushing dust off of herself. She shook her head violently, trying to get the dust out of her ebony hair. She didn't seem happy by the situation but she wasn't angry either. She stopped a few feet in front of Ed, realising she was being watched. She eyed his attire.

"What are you staring at?" she asked. Ed blushed slightly. He rubbed the back of his head with his automail hand.

"Sorry," he managed to say after a few seconds, "I didn't mean to stare."

The girl smirked. Ed froze. That was the same smirk as –

"ED!" yelled Leo off in the distance.

"Nii-san!" shouted Al. Ed waved the two over. The girl went back to trying to get the dust out of her hair. She didn't pay attention to the new comers.

"You shouldn't run off like that, Ed," Leo told Ed with a wave of his finger, "You could've been blown up. Do you know how much paper work that is?"

"What is it with you and your brother and paperwork?" Ed growled. Leo put his hands on his hips.

"That's simple," Leo replied, "We both hate it."

"There's nothing dangerous here," Ed went on, "I mean I don't think there is."

The boys looked at the girl who had her back to them. She had taken off her shirt and was shaking it violently. Ed and Al blushed again as he realised she wasn't wearing anything on her top half apart from a bra. Leo didn't seem to be affected by it. Instead he smirked.

"Hey, not that we mind, but why are you stripping in a place like this, sweetie?" Leo said. Ed and Al's jaws dropped. Leo was definitely the brother of Roy Mustang, hitting on women without a moment's hesitation.

The girl stopped shaking her shirt out. She turned round suddenly frowning.

"Maybe I've got dust everywhere you moron!" she yelled, "You know how much that itches?"

Leo continued to smirk. He was eying her up and down. The girl's frown deepened.

"Pervert," she muttered. She pulled her shirt over her head. Leo was still ogling her. "Put your tongue away already, moron. All of you morons."

"Sorry," Ed and Al said in unison.

"I can't help it if I like what I see," Leo said. The girl's eyes narrowed. She stepped forwards and whack. Leo fell back onto the floor with a bleeding nose.

"Well done, genius," she muttered, "You've just been initiated in the incest society."

Leo felt his nose before realising what she had just said. The girl turned on heel and walked off.

"And you are so going to die!" she yelled back at him. Leo paled.

"Do you know her?" Ed asked.

"Lee?" Leo muttered. "Lee!"

The girl stopped. She turned round, putting her hands on her hips suggestively.

"Well done, genius," she said with a smile.

* * *

**Hehe, I loooooove Rosalie :) Please R&R and I'll update ASAP, depending on demand of course :P**

**RSx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the super long wait but here is chapter 6 of The King, The Lion and The Rose :) In this chapter: more mayhem and a little womanly love... depends how you show love I suppose. Anyway enjoy!**

**I don't FMA :( but maybe that's a good thing...**

* * *

Chapter Six – **A Woman's Affection**

Roy sat back in his chair, enjoying the sound of silence. There was no Fullmetal and there was no Leo. The guys were working quietly in the office. Absolutely nothing could bother him today. Not even his morning phone call from Maes.

The door of his office swung open. He watched as Hawkeye walked towards his desk, holding a few files under one arm and a mug of coffee in her hand. She closed the door behind her with her foot.

"Here's your work, sir," she said in her usual monotone, "The green file has to be checked and signed by three, the blue one by six. The red one needs to be done by twelve so I suggest you get on with that one right away."

"Of course, Lieutenant," Roy said taking the files off of her. She placed his mug on the table top. Her other hand dug into her pocket and retrieved something in a foil wrapper. She placed it next to his mug. He hadn't noticed it because he was looking over the first of the files. Happy he had already started working, she left the room silently.

Roy reached for his mug after a minute or two with his focus still on the paper in front of him. His hand touched the foil. He paused, looking down at what he was touching. He picked it up wondering what it was. He opened it carefully and grinned.

"What did I ever do to get some one like her?" he asked himself. He smiled down at the fortune cookie that his Lieutenant had given him. He carefully broke it in two and pulled out the small slip of paper in the middle of it.

_Silence only occurs before the storm. _

Roy frowned. He put the fortune on his desk, instantly dismissing it. Today was such a good day. Why should it be spoiled?

-X-

Ed jumped as he heard something heavy hit metal. He sat up in his blanket staring around at the culprit. He glanced to his left to see a sleepy looking Leo looking around to.

"Get back here you stupid piece of armour!"

"Rosalie?" Ed asked.

"Rosalie," Leo replied. Leo laid back down like there was nothing to worry about. Ed wasn't so sure.

"So is your sister just plain crazy or medically insane?" Ed asked. Leo laughed.

"A mix of both," Leo admitted. Leo put his hands behind his head. "When we were growing up, Rosalie was always the strong one. When Roy left to join the military, she looked after me. When Roy returned, she looked after us both. She's even looked after Hawkeye when she came back from Ishbal."

Ed looked at Leo for a second.

"Hawkeye was hurt in Ishbal?" Ed asked. Leo shrugged.

"I didn't realise she was so injured until I heard Rosalie screaming for Roy one day because she'd fainted and fallen down the stairs," Leo said, "I think that's the only time I've seen Roy run that fast."

"How about when it's raining?" Ed joked.

"What about rain?"

The boys glanced towards the opening flap of their tent. Their eyes fell on Rosalie. She was stood with her hands on her hips with her head tilted to the side.

"Nothing," Leo said quickly. He sat up, staring at his sister with an odd look on his face. "What do you want?"

Rosalie frowned: "What do you mean?"

"There has to be a reason why you're here," Leo said. Rosalie clicked her tongue.

"Breakfast is out," she muttered, "Don't expect anything fancy."

"Sure," Leo replied. Rosalie turned and exited the tent.

"Hey!" they heard her roar, "Get away from there!"

There was a chorus of girls' giggles.

"Stay away from them," Rosalie said, her tone becoming a lot happier, "You never know what you might catch from State Alchemists."

"What is she implying?" Ed asked, frowning. Leo scratched his face with a finger.

"I don't think you want to know," Leo replied. Leo got to his feet slowly, stretching his back. "Breakfast sounds good."

"Yeah," Ed agreed.

The two of them emerged from the tent a few minutes later. Ed was looking round for his brother while Leo was looking at a few of the local girls who were staring at them.

"This is the one thing I like about being a State Alchemist," Leo said pointing at the girls. Ed glanced over to where Leo was pointing. Ed frowned.

"You are Mustang's younger brother after all," Ed moaned. Ed looked past the girls and saw Rosalie talking to a middle aged man. The man was nodding at whatever she was saying. She was smiling sincerely as she spoke to him. She jumped as the man said something to her. She laughed and walked away from him, pouncing on a younger man a few seconds later.

"Nii-san?" Al asked making Ed snap out of his thoughts.

"There you are," Ed said calmly. Ed walked away from Al towards the breakfast table. Al was confused by his brother's reaction. He looked for Leo but Leo was busy talking to the girls he'd been staring at.

Al turned his attention back at his older brother. Ed was now sat on a bench eating while staring at something across the camp site. Al followed that gaze to Rosalie who was being swung round in circles by a teen boy. Al could see what was going on. This was bad.

Rosalie was put back onto the floor by Truker. His group of friends were laughing at her as she stumbled from being dizzy. She smiled none-the-less as she regained her balance. She walked towards the breakfast table and sat down opposite Ed.

She glanced up, noticing her brother wasn't there. She looked past Ed to see Leo chatting to the girls she'd shouted at before.

"Is he always like this?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ed replied honestly, "But the behaviour runs in the family."

"Explain," Rosalie snapped. Ed felt as though her words had just given him an electric shock. He coughed loudly.

"Well, your brother, Roy, also has a reputation for being a lady's man back in East City," Ed explained slowly, finding his words carefully. Rosalie banged her fist on the table.

"What sort of lady's man?" she asked.

"Well," Ed said, "They're only rumours I've heard."

Rosalie raised an eyebrow at him. She got to her feet quickly. She pulled a glove from her pocket. She slipped it on her right hand, a smirk plastered across her face.

"Oh, Leon!" she yelled sweetly. She walked towards Leo with long strides. Leo saw her coming but failed to notice the glove on her hand. Ed could only imagine what she was going to do to him. Ed smirked as he watched Leo run round like a maniac as his sister chased him with her gloved hand.

Ed laughed as the two ran out of the campsite. He turned to notice Al was sat beside him. Al was also watching Leo and Rosalie with great amusement.

"They seem like opposites," Al said suddenly. Ed nodded. "Leo is the more reserved one while Rosalie is more eccentric."

"Yeah," Ed agreed, raising a mug full of coffee to his mouth, "You can say that again."

"I wonder if the Colonel will be glad to see her," Al went on. Ed snorted into his coffee.

"She's coming back with us?" Ed yelled.

"Yeah," Al replied happily, "She said she hadn't seen the Colonel in a long time and she wanted to make sure he was still on track."

"On track?" Ed asked. Al shrugged.

"I'm not sure what she meant by that either," Al admitted.

Ed thought for a minute. Why would she want to see the Colonel to make sure he was on track? Surely she didn't know about his plan to become the Fuhrer so what could it mean?

"Wow a State Alchemist in deep thought," Rosalie's voice seemed to snap Ed out of his thoughts with an unpleasant bump. She was on Leo's back. He looked bored and embarrassed as Rosalie slid off his back and sat down opposite Al.

"No it's not anything important," Ed said hurriedly going a deeper shade of red.

"Hmm," Rosalie murmured. She kicked Leo in the shin making him fall to the floor in pain.

"What's that a bit... uncalled for?" Ed asked as Leo rubbed his leg. Rosalie shrugged.

"I suppose but it's what you get for becoming a dog of the military," she replied, an evil glint in her eye. Ed had no time to escape as Rosalie put her hand on the floor, activating a transmutation circle that launched Leo across the table right into Ed. The two boys went rolling across the ground while Al looked on. Rosalie stood up, patting Al on his shoulder.

"It's OK Al," she said, "I won't hurt you."

"Erm... that's good to know," Al said. Rosalie walked away from the table not even glancing back to watch Al untangle his brother and Leo.

"I hate that woman," Leo moaned.

**

* * *

**

The next chapter will be posted later on this week seeing as I've just edited it. Go me! Hopefully I will be updating a lot quicker over the next few weeks. Wee! RSx

The next chapter: Family Secrets.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't realise it was so... short, however, I will update on Thursday seeing as I have time to on Thursday so hopefully that'll make it up to you all :D**

**I don't own FMA but I do own Leo and Rosalie which is something I suppose... I'm a poor student T_T**

**Chapter Seven – Family Secrets**

Rosalie was curled up in a ball on the train back to East City. No body felt like disturbing her. Leo was glad for the quiet. Ed was busy writing his report while Al was still weary of Rosalie. Leo was reading his book trying to understand what was written on the pages. He sighed loudly.

"I have no idea what this book it trying to tell me," he moaned. Ed and Al glanced at him. Ed took the book out of Leo's hands and read a passage. Ed didn't understand it either. He passed it onto Al who read a sentence and gave up.

"What is the book about?" Al asked. Leo frowned.

"For the last few months I've been tailing this group of criminals but now they've got a new player," Leo explained, "The book is about the alchemy this new guy uses since I think he's going to be one tough guy to beat."

"What's the guy's name?" Al asked. Ed became uninterested in the conversation suddenly. He turned back to his report.

"Solf. J. Kimberly," Leo replied grimly. Rosalie's eyes snapped open. Her head turned towards Leo.

"Crimson?" she asked.

"Yeah," Leo said, "How did you know that?"

"Do you know where he is?" she asked. Leo's frown deepened.

"No, I don't know where he is," he replied, "Why would you like to know anyway?"

"He's a dangerous criminal," she stated, "I'm trying to avoid such people."

"Hardly," Leo retorted, "I know when you're hiding something, Rose."

"Lee," she corrected with a wave of her finger, "My name is Lee or Rosalie never Rose or Rosa. Got it moron?"

"Why are you even coming with us?" Leo barked, "I thought you were doing wonders on your own without Roy or me so why should you bother with us now?"

"Because, dear moron," Rosalie said, "I have finally finished my training. I was on my way to East City when the earth quakes hit. Yeah, I've had an easy life without you and Roy but I sort of missed the family."

Leo cleared his throat and fell silent. He snatched the book out of Al's hands and began reading again.

Rosalie looked out the window.

"I suppose that's it," she said, "It's OK for you and Roy to leave the nest in order to learn Alchemy and join the military but when it's the girls of the family it's not allowed."

"Shut up," Leo growled. Rosalie paid no attention to Leo's tone.

"I mean you blame auntie for leaving mum, you both blame mum for dying, you both blame DeeDee for –"

"I said shut up!" Leo roared. Rosalie got to her feet. She left the compartment without another word.

She walked along the carriage towards the end cart so she could look out behind her. She sighed as she put her chin on the rail. She looked over the horizon. Everything was speeding past her.

"I can't believe I'm stuck on this train with those idiots for another few hours," she moaned. She closed her eyes feeling the wind catch her hair and whip it against her cheeks and neck. She opened her eyes slowly. She sighed again. Her eyes focused on something on the rail tracks. She straightened up, squinting at the shape. It didn't look like anything but at a distance nothing really did. She waited a few minutes until the shape came a little closer.

Her eyes widen in shock. Not them people. Anything but them.

**Next chapter on Thursday like I said before. In the next chapter, Train Troubles: Leo finds out what it feels like to be a caterpillar in a cocoon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I had actually forgotten I had this story in progress. Sorry for the super, super long wait. I'll try to do some more work on this one :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA but Leo and Rosalie are mine :) woohoo, I own something!**

Chapter Eight – Train Troubles

Leo was angry when Rosalie left. He shut his book with a loud snap and threw it into his bag. Ed and Al exchanged glances.

"What, er, was that about?" Ed asked trying to sound indifferent but failing. Leo sighed loudly.

"Nothing," Leo replied, "Just something that happened a very long time ago."

"Who's DeeDee?" Al asked. Leo shot him a dirty look.

"No one," Leo said in a slow, menacing tone. "Please just shut up about it."

Ed slumped in his seat thinking about Leo's reaction for a minute or two before his thoughts began to wonder. There were things in his past that he didn't want to talk about. They were painful to think about. Ed rested his chin on his fist. He continued to stare at Leo. Ed could respect Leo by not asking like Leo had never asked about his automail arm and leg and Al's empty body. Ed began to think deeper and deeper until the compartment door slid open with a thud. The three guys turned their heads to look at Rosalie in the door way.

"We have trouble," she stated. Although she sounded calm her eyes were wide in shock. Ed shot to his feet.

"What's wrong?" was his first reaction. Rosalie stepped out of his way as he peered out of the compartment.

"The train's being followed and I know who by," Rosalie said. She suddenly blushed and rubbed her head. "I've run into them before and they won't be pleased about that."

"Who are they?" Al asked getting to his feet slowly, trying not to bump his head on the roof.

"They call themselves the Brother Bandits," Rosalie explained, "They're a group of nine brothers who rob trains and take people hostage to get more money."

"And you've run into them before?" Ed asked.

"Yeah," Rosalie replied, "Let's say gone are the days where the only worry about a train is whether it would show up on time."

"I agree," Ed said.

"What should we do?" Al asked.

"Maybe we should show them what two state alchemists can do," Leo said getting to his feet finally. Ed nodded but it was cut short by an explosion from the back of the carriage. Ed was pushed forwards into Rosalie as Al and Leo peered out of their compartment. Ed blushed as he collided with Rosalie. She didn't even seem to notice that they'd collided.

"I think-" she began but something suddenly burst through the roof above her and Ed and pushed them to the floor. Ed tried to push against what ever it was that was holding him down but it was no use.

"Nii-san!" Al yelled. Al went to rush forward but something smashed through the window. Both Leo and Al turned to see a tall, muscular man stood in front of them. He reached out and banged both Al and Leo together, knocking Leo out immediately. Al dropped to catch Leo as he fell. The grunt then pulled out a gun and pointed it at Al's head.

"Move and die," he grunted.

"Al," Ed yelled, "Give them hell!"

"Right," Al agreed but the guy soundly moved his gun towards Ed's head and took the safety off.

"For a shrimp you have a mouth," he grunted.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP SO SMALL THAT EVEN AN ANT COULD PICK UP AND CARRY!" Ed exploded. Rosalie cringed next to him.

"SHUT UP YOU MORON! YOU REALLY THINK SHOUTING'S GOING TO MAKE THEM ANY NICER!" she screamed back. This time Ed cringed. The weight on top of them increased making them both cough and splutter as more pressure was put on their rib cages.

Al sat down on the floor and hung his head.

"I'll co-operate," he muttered. The guy grinned.

"Smart boy," he grunted.

-X-

Ed and Rosalie were tied back to back by a thick rope while Al was chained to a contraption. Ed had to hand to these bandits, they thought of everything. The contraption that Al was chained to was simple but effective. If Al broke the chains then there would be no weight to stop a heavy iron slab from crushing Leo. Leo was still unconscious. He looked like a caterpillar because they'd tied him up with so much rope. There was a gag in his mouth.

Rosalie was trying to release herself from the ropes but so far it wasn't going well. Her hand slipped making her touch Ed's bum. Ed sat up right like he'd received an electric shock.

"CAN YOUNOT DO THAT?" he yelled.

"Sorry Ed," she replied, "These ropes are too tight. I can't wriggle free."

"Can you please stop wriggling too?" he asked.

"Sorry," she replied. She smirked but Ed couldn't see her. "I thought you might have liked a girl wriggling against you."

Ed blushed a deep shade of scarlet. Rosalie giggled at him as felt his temperature rise slightly.

"Sorry, Ed," she muttered, "I know how uncomfortable you are with women and innuendoes."

"Not all women," Ed said, "Just you cos you're full of them."

"Hey, I am a Mustang," was her reply. Ed smiled to himself.

"You're not a bad Mustang," Ed said.

"Am I your favourite?" she asked.

"Depends," Ed replied, "How much trouble do you get in?"

"Nii-san," Al chorused from his corner, "How are we going to get out of this?"

Rosalie turned her head so she could see her brother.

"It's a shame I'm not in a cocoon of rope," she sighed.

"Yeah," Ed agreed, "You wriggle quite well."

"Why thank you, Ed," Rosalie said taking it as a complement. "We need to wake him up."

"How do we do that?" Al asked.

"Can any of you do a Roy impression?" Rosalie asked.

"What? Copy that –"

"No," Al replied before his brother could finish his sentence. Rosalie sighed. She inhaled deeply.

"What does Riza call him?" she asked.

"Who?" the brothers asked in unison.

"Miss Hawkeye," Rosalie snapped.

"Major," Ed replied, "Why?"

"Major Mustang," Rosalie said but she didn't sound like Rosalie at all. She sounded exactly like Hawkeye. Both brothers' jaws dropped. "Please get up before I have to take action."

There was no movement. Rosalie scowled. She clicked her fingers. Leo's eyes opened with a snap. He started to wriggle and mumble but no body could understand him.

"Leo," Rosalie said in her usual voice, "You need to wriggle from under that there."

Leo looked above him. He immediately began to wriggle as fast as he could. After a few minutes he'd only got a few centimetres. Ed and Al groaned.

"Wow," Rosalie said dryly, "I've never seen him move so fast."

-X-

If Colonel Roy Mustang wanted one thing in the world more than anything, apart from a certain blonde woman, was a nice peaceful day but in Eastern command that would never happen. He had to admit it was a quiet morning. There was nothing happening at all, but things easily changed.

It was Havoc who broke the peace. Mustang was sat in his chair looking over some paper work under the supervision of his first lieutenant. The document was very important and she had to make sure he did his job on time for once. Everything in his office was silent until Havoc burst through the door with the rest of Mustang's team shortly behind him.

"Chief!" Havoc yelled, making the Flame Alchemist flinch. Hawkeye turned her ruby orbs onto Havoc. "A train has just gone off the rails!"

"And why is that so important that you had to disturb me?" Mustang asked, not taking his eyes of his document no matter how tempting it was.

"Because you never guess who was on it?" Havoc yelled, his cigarette falling out of his mouth.

"If it's not the Fuhrer then I suggest you leave now," Mustang replied dryly.

"Sir," Falman interrupted, "It's the Elric's and your brother's train."

Mustang glanced at Falman. He didn't seem panicked at all.

"Are any of them dead?" he asked. Hawkeye's face dropped as her superior asked his question.

"No, sir," Falman replied.

"Sir," Breda piped up, "The train was attacked by bandits."

"So I take it that Leo, Fullmetal and Al were able to take care of the bandits and save the train, blah, blah," Mustang said, "Is that all?"

"Yes, sir," Breda snapped.

"Then please go back into your own office and do some work," Mustang said. The guys exchanged looks before silently leaving the Colonel's office. Hawkeye turned to Mustang with a deep frown on her face.

"Aren't you going to see if they're alright, sir?" she asked. Mustang grinned.

"I'm playing no part in it," Mustang said, "If Fullmetal and Leo are OK, the other passengers might not be. I don't want to be involved in a dispute."

"Yes, sir," Hawkeye replied. Mustang returned to his document noting the concern on her face. He signed the document.

"Would you please tell Sergeant Master Fuery to send a car out to meet them," Mustang said as he passed Hawkeye the document.

"I thought you didn't want to get involved, sir," she said.

"Well I am busy and sometimes I agree with my Lieutenant even if I'm not fully listening," Mustang replied. Hawkeye smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you, sir," she said.

"No problem," he replied. He looked up at her. "Why do you feel so attached to Leo, Lieutenant?"

"He's like a brother to me, sir," she replied, "Since I have no siblings, he's the closest thing I have."

"Is that all, Lieutenant?" Mustang asked suddenly after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes, sir," she replied, "I'll come to check on you in an hour."

"OK," Mustang said.

**Next time: desserts and urban surfing. Ed and the gang realised how not to fling bad guys...**

**RSx**


	9. Chapter 9

**So here's the next chapter. Didn't take too long to update but I really should put this story in a folder that I can find more easily. Anyway, hope you enjoy this. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and faved the story :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but I own Leo and Rosalie and the plot. Hehe, I love OCs.**

Chapter Nine – To East City

"You had to go and touch the engine didn't you?" Rosalie snapped, "When I told you that it would over heat and go boom."

Leo groaned as his sister told him off for the fifth time. Ed and Al were walking several feet in front of them, trying not to pay attention to the arguing.

"Shut up already," Leo snapped.

"Now we have to walk across miles and miles of desert until we get to East City," she went on, "You know how bad sand is for my clothes. Unlike you I only have enough money for a new outfit once every three months not every other day!"

"I'll buy you a new outfit," Leo moaned, "If you shut the hell up!"

Ed glanced back at Rosalie. She looked upset but at the same time angry. Ed smiled at her as her eyes fell on him. She sped up to walk with him and Al.

"So what's East City like?" she asked.

"Well," Ed said, "It's bigger than any other towns in the region. There's loads of shops and stuff like that."

"Wow," Rosalie said, "The two things I already knew."

"There's a lot of things there," Ed said quickly, "Why don't I give you a tour when we get there?"

"That would be awesome," Rosalie said happily. Al stopped suddenly.

"Nii-san," he said to Ed. Ed glanced at Al. Al was pointing in front of them. Ed looked across the desert. He saw a car coming towards them.

"How can a car drive in the sand?" Rosalie asked.

"I have no idea," Ed replied. He walked towards the car. It slowed to a halt. The door opened and a man in uniform stepped out of the car.

"Excuse me," the man said, "I'm here for the Lion Alchemist and the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Woohoo!" Rosalie yelled. She jumped up in the air. "I knew Roy would help you."

"We're them," Ed said pulling his silver pocket watch out of his pocket. Leo copied Ed, flashing his pocket watch at the soldier too.

"Please, sirs," the soldier said, opening the back door of the car. Ed and Leo climbed but Rosalie paused.

"How you going to fit Al in?" she asked. The soldier shut the door of the car.

"I was told to pick up two state alchemists," he said, climbing into the driver's seat. Ed opened the door.

"Hey wait a minute!" Ed yelled.

"It's OK Ed," Rosalie said, "Roy must have something very important for you to do. Al and I will follow you and meet up with you when we get to East City."

"Sure," Ed said as Al nodded in agreement. Ed disappeared into the car. Rosalie grinned. She went in her bag pulling out a rope. While the driver was talking to the two boys in the car, Rosalie tied the rope round the back bumper of the car. She then pulled out a bottle of water and wet the sand in front of her. She drew a transmutation circle in the wet sand and placed a pencil in the centre of the circle. She activated it making a sleigh big enough for her and Al to sit in.

"Come on," she said to Al as she sat on the sleigh, "This should get us closer before it breaks up."

"OK," Al said uncertainly.

-X-

Havoc poked his head around the door of his superior's office seeing if he was still in a mood. Havoc was surprised to see the Colonel tapping his pen on the desk while gazing across his office like there was nothing left to do.

"Erm... Chief?" Havoc muttered. Mustang glanced at him.

"What is it Havoc?" Mustang asked. Deciding it was safe to enter the room, Havoc walked slowly in front of the Colonel's desk and saluted.

"We've just had a report from some police officers in the city centre. A few of the bandits that attacked that train have appeared here," Havoc explained.

"How did they get from the train to here so quickly?" Mustang asked.

"Apparently they were flung here," Havoc replied. Mustang pulled a face as he tried to work out how far they had been 'flung' in order to crash into the city.

"That's one hell of a way," Mustang muttered. He stood up. "Get Hawkeye and the others mobilised. I need Fuery on the lines to tell us where they're heading. See if you can rustle up some more alchemists while you're at it."

"Yes, sir," Havoc said. Mustang didn't even notice him leave. He was thinking about how the bandits got here. The train coming from that part of the Eastern Section was at least four miles away from the edge of the city. What would send someone that far away?

Mustang grabbed his coat and went rushing out of the room. Whatever could throw someone that far into the city was dangerous. He hoped that it was either Leo's or Fullmetal's doing but there was a feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him it wasn't them.

-X-

"So how did you know how to do this?" Al asked Rosalie as they were being pulled towards East City. Rosalie shrugged.

"I've spent a lot of time on the road," she replied, "You pick these things up."

"My brother and I travel quite a lot," Al said.

"Not to the same extent as I do," Rosalie said, "You have a huge amount of money to make sure you have hotels and trains and stuff while I don't. All I have is my back pack and few coins that I work for while I'm stationary."

"How do you make money?" Al asked.

"I fix things," Rosalie replied, "Sometimes I help people do things or build things. Sometimes I even catch criminals because they're too dangerous for police to catch."

"Don't you ever get scared?" Al asked. Rosalie glared at him. Al felt like he'd shrunk a lot as she continued to give him this death glare. "Sorry."

"It doesn't matter, Al," Rosalie said, looking out over the desert they were leaving behind, "It's been rough for a while but I can do anything."

"How do you know that?" Al asked.

"Because," she said, "I think I can."

The car suddenly stopped making the sleigh bump into the back bumper. Al fell to the side, loosing his head. He scrambled around for it, quickly putting his hands on it. When he looked around Rosalie was gone.

"Al?"

Al turned round to see both Ed and Leo leaning out of the car looking at him and the sleigh. Al stood up and continued to look around.

"What's going on?" he asked his brother. Ed shrugged.

"Seems to be a traffic jam," Ed replied. Leo nodded in agreement.

"Rosalie's disappeared," Al said making his brother and Leo turn back round and stare at him.

"You lost her!" Leo yelled, "How could you loose her?"

"I don't know," Al said panicking. He started to dance on the spot. "Where could she go?"

"We'd better look for her before she gets herself into trouble," Leo said.

-X-

Rosalie ran down a few allies before turning onto the main road. There was a lot of traffic here. How many cars were there? There were a lot to say how many people lived here. She scanned the area, noting the person she'd spotted a few minutes ago running along the roves of the houses near by. Rosalie set off at a sprint. She ran across the road and slipped through a few tight allies, still keeping the man in her view.

Suddenly she stopped. There were a few blue uniforms with their backs to her. She hid behind a trash can waiting for the next move. She noted the guy she'd been chasing: the ring leader of the Bandit Brothers. He was still stood on the roof smirking down at the soldiers beneath him. Rosalie dug in her pocket pulling out the gloves she hoped she never had to use.

**Yeah, so the next chapter I will get to you on Wednesday (round about). We finally see what sort of Alchemy Rosalie uses, Havoc gets a new nickname and much much more. Til next time!**

**RSx**


	10. Chapter 10

**As promised, the tenth chapter is up :) I finally put this story in a folder wher i can see it :) Anyways, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**

Chapter Ten – Lela Hawkeye

Havoc turned to his right to talk to Breda.

"He's a big bloke," he muttered. Breda nodded.

"I thought we were dealing with bandits not giants," Breda agreed. The guy on the roof was stood tall and haughty as his eyes swept over the small group of soldiers. Something caught his eye. There was only one of them holding a gun up at him. Did he scare all of them that much? He looked at the soldier holding the gun up. He laughed.

"Why doesn't it surprise me that the only one pointing a gun at me is a woman?" he laughed. His laughter cut through the air like a knife. Suddenly the other soldiers got out their guns and raised them at the target. "Hey, you're sort of hot there, Blondie. How about you and I get some dinner."

Havoc looked across at his superior, Lieutenant Hawkeye, to note her expression. She didn't seem bothered by the idiot's words. In fact she seemed as composed as ever. Havoc was glad the Colonel wasn't here to hear what was being said. The Colonel would definitely loose it.

The guy jumped down from the roof making the ground tremble for just a minute.

"Hold it right there!" Hawkeye yelled. The guy stopped and looked at her with a smirk.

"Haven't you got more nerve than your men here," he laughed. He knocked her gun out of her hand easily. She stumbled, shocked that he easily disarmed her. He laughed again. "Sorry, darling, can't have you ruining this for me."

With a swing of his arm he knocked Hawkeye off her feet into the wall. She hit it with a dull thud. She glanced down. There was a pole sticking out of her stomach.

"Hawkeye!" Havoc yelled. The guy raised Hawkeye's gun at him. He clicked safety off and THUD. The gun dropped to the floor.

"What the -?" the guy looked around, realising he'd been knocked to the floor. In front of him was a little girl with long black hair. She was frowning but not at him, rather at the soldiers behind her. He recognised that little girl as she turned her sights back on him. It was the same one that shot him here in the first place. "You again."

"Yes, me again," she replied with a smile, "And this time you're going to feel a little twinge."

The guy launched a fist at her but she carefully stepped out of the way making him crash into the crowd of soldiers behind her. The guy was up on his feet quickly. He threw another fist but she caught it with her hands. He looked down at her hands. She was wearing gloves. He looked at her.

"I'm sorry about this, but you brought it on yourself," she said.

A moment later there was a flash of light and a dull bang. The girl was splattered in blood as the guy began to scream in agony. He dropped to the floor screaming, clutching a stump of an arm. The girl looked at him for a minute in pity before rushing over to Hawkeye.

"Hey," she said, "Listen. Come on look at me."

Hawkeye opened her eyes slowly looking at the girl.

"Lee?" she muttered before closing her eyes again. Rosalie panicked.

"Riza? Riza? Hold on, please hold on," Rosalie said. She carefully reached behind Hawkeye putting her hand on the pole. There was another bang and the pole snapped. Rosalie turned to the other soldiers. "Are you all idiots? Ambulance! Now!"

"There's already one coming," said Havoc, "Just leave her and come with us now."

Rosalie stood up and glared at him.

"Listen, Chimney," she snapped glancing at the cigarette in his mouth, "I'm the only family she'd got so you best leave me here other wise she will die."

"She's going to be fine," Havoc cooed trying to calm her down, "Don't worry."

Rosalie glanced down at Hawkeye.

"She's allergic to Morphine," she stated, "Her blood type is A positive. Who else would know that?"

Havoc stopped talking stunned for words.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Lela Hawkeye," Rosalie lied. Havoc sighed.

"OK then," Havoc said, "Wait here."

-X-

"Colonel!" Ed yelled as he saw the familiar sight of Colonel Mustang walking with Warrant Officer Falman walking behind him. Mustang turned.

"Fullmetal, Leo, Al," he greeted as all three teens slowed to stop, "What trouble have you landed us in this time?"

"It's not our fault," Leo chorused.

"Yeah," Ed agreed, "We were attacked by those bandits on the train when we were doing nothing wrong at all!"

"It was all –" Leo began but the conversation soon stopped as Havoc came running towards them panting heavily.

"Havoc?" Falman said stepping forwards to steady his comrade. Havoc rested a hand on Falman's shoulder as he inhaled deeply a few times. "You should really stop smoking, sir, it's not good for your health."

"Sorry... Colonel..." Havoc said between deep breaths, "Hawkeye's... been badly...hurt...but we've... got her... to the... hos...pital and... her... sister's... with her."

"Sister?" Mustang asked.

"I didn't realise she had a sister," Leo said. Mustang marched off.

"Falman, let's go!" he roared. Falman made sure Havoc could stand on his own before he went rushing off with the Colonel.

"Poor Hawkeye," Ed said, "What happened?"

"One of the bandits," Havoc said, "He pushed her into a pole."

"And she got a bump on the back of her head?" Leo asked sounding quite worried.

"No," Havoc said, "The pole went straight through her. It was sticking out of a wall."

Leo cringed. He looked in the direction that Roy had walked off in.

"We should go back to the office and do something useful," Leo said, "It's the best thing we can do."

"Yeah," Al agreed, "We shouldn't crowd the hospital."

"We need to find Rosalie," Ed said.

"Rosalie?" Havoc asked, "Who's that? Some girl you found on the train or something, Chief?"

"No, it's not like that!" Ed shouted growing red in the cheeks.

-X-

Mustang walked hurriedly through the halls of the hospital following the nurse's instructions with Falman shortly behind him. He paused at the room 361, the room the nurse had said Hawkeye would return to after her operation. He slowly turned the handle of the room and walked in. Breda was sat on a chair reading a magazine. He glanced up as the Colonel entered.

"How is she?" was the Colonel's first question.

"She's in the operating theatre," Breda explained, "Luckily we didn't remove the bar otherwise she would have bled to death."

"Where's this sister of hers?" Mustang asked. Breda pointed to the seat next to the door. Rosalie was sat with her head hung low. She was caressing her trousers like she couldn't do anything else. Mustang sighed.

"Sir," Falman muttered, "I thought you said she had no sister."

"She said she was," Breda replied, "She said her name was Lela Hawkeye. She appeared right when we needed her too."

Mustang went down on his knees. He cupped the young girl's chin to make her look at him. She resisted at first but then she allowed him to raise her head. She stared into his onyx eyes as he stared into her midnight blue eyes. For a minute nothing was said or done until Rosalie threw herself into her older brother's arms and began weeping furiously.

"They know each other?" Breda asked Falman.

"Apparently," Falman replied. They continued to watch the Colonel until he pushed her away gently. He wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"Rosalie," he said softly, "It's OK. You know Riza. She'll be fine."

"But she- she was hurt so bad," Rosalie spluttered. Mustang pulled her back into an embrace, holding her closely.

"Thank you for taking good care of her," he muttered in her ear. For the next few minutes the Colonel sat holding his sister close to him while she continued to sob into the top corner of his jacket.


	11. Chapter 11

**OK, so I haven't updated this in so long. I was too busy concetrating on another fic, but thanks to an anonymous reviewer I suddenly thought 'I should finish this' so here we are: an update. XD And on another good note, I finally have figured out a story line for this fic. Should be good!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**

**Chapter Eleven – Alliance**

The office door swung open and hit the wall behind it.

"Hey watch it kid," Breda snapped, "This is government property."

"Like I care about the stupid military," Rosalie snapped. She glanced round the office looking from the chimney guy from earlier to her brother, Ed and Al to a guy twiddling with a phone. She sighed. Breda and Falman slipped past her so they could sit down in their chairs. Ed stood up quickly.

"Rosalie," he said, "You're OK? Where did you get to?"

"I'm fine," she replied happily. Ed looked at her clothes. They were splattered and stained with blood.

"But you're covered in blood, Lee," Leo said worriedly.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye is going to be fine," Rosalie announced, ignoring her brother, "Roy's staying with her until she comes round then I'll go back there. In the mean time, I'm charge here."

Havoc snorted. Rosalie glared at him for a second or two until he realised he was being glared at.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, but the highest ranking officer is Leo here and I'm normally in command when both the Colonel and Hawkeye are out so you have no chance," Havoc said. Rosalie smiled. She pulled a gun from behind her back and pointed it at Havoc. Havoc laughed knowing she wouldn't shoot.

"You'd better laugh, Chimney," Rosalie said, "Because unlike Riza, I have no control over where the gun will lodge a bullet."

That made the office fall silent. Suddenly there was a great mass of running around and then peace as each of the guys found some work to do. Rosalie smiled. She walked towards the Lieutenant's desk and looked in the top drawer. She found some keys.

"Erm..." she said looking round at the guy with the telephone, "Fuery is it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Fuery said nervously.

"Just call me Lee," Rosalie said softly, "Please can you go and get some clothes for Riza and also pick up her dog. You can bring him here. Leo can look after him."

"OK," Fuery said. He took the keys from Rosalie and left the room. Rosalie turned back to the desk, noticing a small black book. Curiously she opened it. It was a small photo album containing photos from the military. Rosalie noted the guys in the office, Roy, a taller shirtless man and a weird man with pictures. Rosalie grinned. The guy with pictures seemed to like harassing Roy. On the last page there wasn't a picture from the military. It was a small picture of a nice looking family. Rosalie grinned.

"Say Leo," Rosalie said, "Where can I find General Grumman?"

"Why?" Leo snapped back.

"I thought he'd like to know what's happening," Rosalie replied.

"Walk down the hall and take the third right, then the second left," Leo instructed. Rosalie stood up and began to walk out of the room. She stopped at the door.

"If you're not working by the time I get back," she said. She held up her hand in a gun shape and motioned for a shot. The guys paled and put their heads down so they could continue working hard. "Al you're in charge."

"Me?" Al asked. Rosalie smiled as she left the room.

-X-

It wasn't usual for someone to knock on General Grumman's door. He glanced up from his newspaper.

"Come in," he said in an almost bored voice. He watched Rosalie enter but made no gesture to show he didn't know her or that he was worried about her presence. In fact the idea of a stranger waltzing into his office scared him a great deal. However Rosalie smiled at him and bowed her head respectfully.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir," she said, "But I've got some news from Colonel Mustang."

"Mustang? Why is he making young girls run around after him?" Grumman asked.

"I'm his sister, Rosalie," Rosalie introduced, "I've come from the hospital. Your granddaughter was seriously hurt but she's going to be fine."

"Really?" Grumman said, "And where is the Colonel?"

"Still in the hospital," Rosalie replied, "He's waiting until she wakes up."

"That's fine," Grumman said happily. Rosalie took a few steps towards the General's desk and put her hands on the desktop.

"If I may be so bold, sir," she said with a smile, "I think you and I can be great friends and allies."

"And why would that be?" Grumman asked.

"Because we both have the same goals," she replied. The General laughed. He put his newspaper on the desk and turned his chair slightly so he was facing her.

"Go on," Grumman said.

"It's the ultimate plan, sir," Rosalie went on, "And I know you have a great deal of interest in it, sir."

"I do indeed, my dear," Grumman agreed, "But I have to say my attempts have been futile."

"There's no need to give up, sir," Rosalie went on, "I've been trying to do this since I was very young, since I first met your granddaughter."

"Really? That long?" Grumman asked.

"And I know how to make my brother and your granddaughter very happy, sir," she went on. Grumman sat back in his chair.

"In that case, my dear, I will leave it up to you," Grumman said, "If they are not married within three years then we will have failed."

"Eighteen months," Rosalie corrected him, "I will have them together in eighteen months, sir."

"Even better," Grumman said with a smile.

-X-

Mustang ran his hand through his hair in an annoyed way. He glanced at Hawkeye in the hospital bed. They'd managed to remove the pole and stop the bleeding but she was still unconscious. He grinned ever so slightly.

"I think it was a very bad idea to send Rosalie to your grandfather with a message," Mustang said, "Why do I feel like I've just made a very, very, very bad mistake?"

**I forgot how much I love writing Rosalie. She's so random! Anyway, I'll try to get on with this fic so it's finished soon! In the meantime, don't forget to review. It's like a cyber poke for more fic :)**

**RSx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter twelve, the one number I can't spell... Anyway, it's a milestone! For me anyway. More Mustang banter in this chapter :) I like it when the Mustangs fight with each other. Is very enjoyable to write :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of its characters :( but Rosalie and Leo are mine. Wow, I own something...**

**Chapter Twelve – Lee Takes Charge**

Rosalie was bored. She was fed up of watching the clowns that called themselves Roy's subordinates flounder around doing paper work and following up reports. She felt her eyelids shutting when the phone beside her rang. She glanced at it before reaching out and holding it to her ear.

"Hey, Roy!" shouted a very happy man on the other end, "I thought you'd be in hospital right now."

"He is," Rosalie replied, "I'm Rosalie. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Rosalie?" the man questioned, "I'm Hughes from Investigations. I thought Ro – Colonel Mustang would like to know something. Is Havoc there or Fuery or someone?"

"I'm afraid they're working," Rosalie said, "It's taken my half an hour to get them settled down. I'm Roy and Leo's younger and smarter sister. I've taken over Roy's office until he returns."

"Younger sister?" Hughes went quiet on the other end. "So you're the one I've heard so much about?"

"Probably," Rosalie laughed making Havoc and Breda look at her. She pointed down and they both went back to work. "So what have you got?"

"There's been some sightings of the Crimson Alchemist in the Northern area," Hughes muttered. Rosalie clicked her tongue. "I'll be arriving in a few hours with a few of my men to see if we can get any closer to him."

"Crimson you say?" Rosalie said loudly. Leo glanced up. "Is he travelling with anyone else?"

"A few others," Hughes replied, "Why?"

"My brother will help you," Rosalie said, "He's been after the group for quite a while so he should know what the others are up to at least."

"I'll swing by the office then," Hughes said, "Oh and tell Roy: He needs to get a wife."

"He doesn't need get one," Rosalie mused, "He needs some courage to ask one!"

She put the phone down. Leo rose to his feet.

"Hughes is coming up," she stated like she knew who she was talking about. Leo frowned for a second or two.

"Who the hell is Hughes?" he asked.

"Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes," Falman explained, "He runs investigations in Central Command. He and Mustang go way back to the Ishballan war."

"He has a wife and daughter in Central," Ed added, "Gracia makes nice apple pies and Hughes loves his daughter to bits so he's bound to thrust pictures of her in your face."

"He also works beside Major Armstrong," Falman went on, "Who is the Strong Arm Alchemist."

"Another alchemist?" Rosalie asked, smirking, "I wonder if I'll be able to kick his butt as easily as Roy's, Leo's or Ed's."

"You've not kicked my butt yet," Ed snapped.

"Emphasis on the 'yet' part," Rosalie said uninterested in the challenge. Ed pulled a face as she went back to flipping through the photo album. She paused at a picture half way through the album and smiled at it. Leo, seeing that his sister was otherwise preoccupied, waltzed over to the desk and snuck round the back of the chair. He put his hands under the seat and was just about the tip it over when Rosalie stood up and pushed the chair into his face. "I'm hungry."

Leo fell onto the floor behind the desk with a heavy thump. Rosalie stretched and walked over to the office door. She turned to face everyone and smiled widely.

"Anyone want anything while I'm going?" she asked.

"It's alright," Ed said, jumping to his feet, "I'll go with you. I'm starving."

"Cool," Rosalie said uninterested in him once more. Ed frowned. "Anyone else want to tag along?"

"Nope, we're good," Havoc said with a few nods from his co workers. Al shook his head. Rosalie looked around for Leo, soon discovering him behind the desk she'd been sat at a few minutes ago. He was still rubbing his head in a frustrated sort of way.

"Leo?" she questioned.

"No, thanks," he snapped. Rosalie shrugged and turned to go out of the room, with Ed following her. Havoc turned to the guys smirking.

"I think Ed has a crush on her," Havoc said. Breda, Fuery and Falman nodded in sync as they agreed with him. Leo jumped to his feet.

"No way, uh uh," Leo said, waving his arms around, "I'm not letting that half metal freak touch my baby sister!"

"Are you calling my brother a half metal freak?" Al asked. Leo nodded.

"Yeah," Leo replied, "He a half metal freak for liking her in the first place, I mean she's half insane, half crazy, even though I admit she has a nice rack and all but still it's Rosalie for heaven's sake."

Leo panted for a few seconds while the rest of the occupants of the office gazed at him weirdly.

"I have issues," Leo muttered as he regained his composure, "So has Roy."

"Why are we not surprised?" Havoc laughed. Breda rubbed his chin for a moment or two while Havoc laughed heartily to himself.

"You know," Breda said thoughtfully, "Ed's never been that confident around girls and there's no way he's just going to blurt out his feelings. He's probably not even realised how he feels about her."

"Then it's easy," Havoc said triumphantly, "Our new mission is to make Ed realise how he feels about Rosalie and then act on it."

"Yes, sir," the rest of Havoc's friends agreed with a salute. Leo shook his head.

"Does my brother hit you over the head repeatedly?" he asked.

"No," Fuery replied, "The Colonel's never hurt us. Why do you ask?"

"It would just explain the insanity of it all, that's all," Leo replied with a shrug.

-X-

Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes walked up the stairs of Eastern Command with his subordinate, Major Armstrong, walking a few steps behind him. Hughes was grinning wildly as he entered the halls of the building instantly noticing a ebony blur whiz past him, a blur he recognised as Leo Mustang, quickly being pursued by a shorter, blonde blur.

"Was that?" Armstrong asked.

"Probably," Hughes replied, "I wonder why they were running."

"GET BACK HERE YOU FREAKS!"

Hughes stopped to see another ebony blur come rushing his way. It passed him and then doubled back to have a look at both Hughes and Armstrong. It was a girl with black hair wearing civilian clothing. She seemed to freeze for a moment or two before she smiled warmly at them.

"Hi there," she said, "Hughes and Armstrong I presume?"

"That's correct," Hughes replied happily, "And you are Rosalie?"

"Yep," Rosalie said with an affirming nod. "Do you know the way to Roy's office?"

"Sure I do," Hughes said cheerfully.

"Please go right ahead," Rosalie said, "I have unfinished business."

Hughes laughed as the young girl disappeared round a corner, yelling Ed and Leo's names in a sweet tone, as if trying to bait them out of their hiding places.

Hughes gestured for Armstrong to follow him the opposite way Rosalie had ran. Armstrong peered behind him, expecting Rosalie to catch them up but she seemingly disappeared. They could hear some shouting coming from further down the hall. It sounded like Rosalie had found the two boys.

Hughes opened the door to Roy's office and stepped in. Most of the occupants of the office glanced at him nervously, half expecting Rosalie to have returned, but their expressions soon lightened when they saw it was just the Lieutenant Colonel and the Major.

"Lt. Colonel," Al greeted, "How have you been?"

"Oh, hey Al," Hughes replied, glancing round the office, noting how clean it was and how few papers were scattered round the room. "It looks different in here."

"Rosalie runs a tighter command than Hawkeye does," Havoc moaned, his head slumping on to the desk.

"She's made us work and clean and then work some more," Breda agreed, sounding annoyed.

"She says that we joined the Military so it's about time we worked like we were in the Military," Fuery added, sounding tired.

"And when she disappears she leaves Al in charge," Falman said. Hughes let out a loud laugh.

"Fantastic," he exclaimed, "I like her style. We saw her chasing Ed and Leo not so long ago."

"Such grace while running," Armstrong agreed, "A true mark of a leader."

"You like her!" Breda yelled, "She's like a wolf in human skin!"

"A boogie man with long hair!" Fuery yelped.

"Catalina on a PMS day," Havoc remarked. His co-workers nodded wildly in agreement. Hughes and Armstrong exchanged looks.

"Oh, Lt. Colonel, Major," Rosalie's voice made the soldiers in the office go immediately back to work. Hughes and Armstrong stepped to the side to let her in the office. "Thank you for waiting."

"Not a problem," Hughes said.

"Roy is in this ward," Rosalie told him, slipping him a piece of paper. She smiled and walked to the desk, jumping into Roy's chair. "I've already told him you're coming up here. If you want you can go with Chimney to the hospital. He's been a good little soldier, haven't you?"

"Yes, Lee,"

"If it's possible can the Major stay here and go over the information you've gathered with my brother and the Elrics?" Rosalie went on.

"I would gladly oblige," Armstrong boomed, "To work with the Elrics once again would be grand."

"Where is Ed and Leo?" Hughes asked.

"They should be arriving soon," Rosalie replied, smiling even wider than before.

"Fine," Hughes said, "Havoc, let's go. I'll leave the Major in your capable hands, Rosalie."

"Have fun," she replied waving. Havoc slowly got to his feet and followed the Lt. Colonel out of the room, closing the door behind him. Rosalie pointed to Leo's desk. "Please, sit down Major. My brother and Edward shouldn't be long."

As if on cue the two boy slammed open the door, both drenched from head to toe. Both glared at Rosalie as they shuffled into the room, their shoes squelching with every step. Rosalie, on the other hand, looked quite pleased with herself.

"Lee," Leo said quietly, "I'm only going to say this once… You are _so_ dead when Roy gets back!"

**I also love writing Armstrong and Hughes. It also makes me laugh, although I think that having Lee, Hughes and Grumman in the same room is a very bad idea... For Roy anyway. Poor Roy, how he suffers. Anywho, I shall be updating soon-ish. Don't forget to review!**

**RSx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen, the unlucky chapter, but who will it be unlucky for? You can only find out if you read on *nods***

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA :(**

**Chapter Thirteen – A Bit Far North**

"Echoooo!"

The word bounced off the glaciers followed by a small laugh.

"Seriously," one soldier scolded his partner, "Can't you act your age?"

"Uh uh," the partner replied, offering the other a smile, "My mental age will always be six, therefore, I will always act my mental age."

"Warrant Officer," the first soldier moaned. The first soldier looked at the second with a frown forming on his face. The Warrant Officer shrugged slightly. "I am the only man in Briggs who has to put up with you. Why?"

"Because," the Warren Officer replied with a wink, "You're swell?"

"Thanks, Warrant Officer," the solider said. He let out a sigh. The two of them were doing a standard sweep of the glaciers around Briggs Headquarters. It was easy work to say. It was just a general sweep of the area since action in Drachma had risen slightly. The solder was aged around twenty-five. He was covered in so much uniform and fur that you couldn't see his face. He wore goggles over his eyes that were slightly tinted so the glare from the sun would blind him. He was a Captain in rank, although he had little experience in this territory. He glanced at the Warrant Officer. They weren't wearing half as much as he was. Of course, the Warrant Officer had been stationed in the Briggs and seemingly forgotten about since just after the Ishval War so they were used to the conditions on the glaciers.

The Warrant Officer held up their hand, stopping the Captain from taking another step.

"What's wrong?" the Captain asked.

"I hear something," the Warrant Officer replied, "It sounds like voices."

"Where?" the Captain inquired as he took his bayonet from its holster on his back. The two soldiers froze for a few seconds as the Warrant Officer tried to find where the noise was coming from. It was hard to pinpoint noise in the glaciers since the echoes were so bad. The echoes seemed to change depending on the wind and weather as well as where the snow and ice were. The Captain waited for his partner to reply.

"There," the Warrant Officer said suddenly pointing at a thirty six degree angle. The tow of them raced towards whatever was making the noise. They hit in the snow, their uniforms being perfectly camouflaged. The Captain gazed into a shallow valley to see a group of ten soldiers unpacking gear into a strange looking tank. The Warrant Officer seemed surprised at the site of the tank but didn't say anything.

"What's going on here?" the Captain asked in a hushed whisper, "Drachmarans?"

"It's not the Drachmaran uniform," the Warrant officer replied, "I've seen those tanks before, they were used in Ishval years ago."

"And those people?"

"Amestrian," the Warrant Officer stated. The Captain nodded as he slowly made to get up.

"We should report this to base," he said. He looked behind him. There were a group of burly looking men, each holding various weapons. The Warrant Officer had been distracted by something that was being loaded into the tank. Explosives? Weapons? It could've been either.

"Gah," the Captain moaned. The Warrant Officer went to roll their eyes, thinking their commanding officer had tripped in the snow again but then the smell of a metallic substance hit their nose. It could only mean one thing.

The Warrant Officer rolled onto their back firing shots from their side arm at one of the three men. They glanced at the Captain. It wasn't a pretty sight. The Warrant Officer got onto their feet, disposing of the gun and pulling a dagger from a side holster. The three of them fought hard, blood staining the snow below them. The Warrant Officer was victorious with minimal cuts on them. They went to the Captain who was surrounded in a pool of blood. He was dead for sure.

"Well, well," the voice sent chills up the spine of the Warrant Officer. They looked at a new comer. He was lean with a long face. He was slim. He wore a white suit with gloves, a fur scarf and some snow boots. Boy did he look weird. He glared at the Warrant Officer. "You fight quite well."

"Thank you," the Warrant Officer replied, "Now what are you doing up here on the glaciers?"

"This and that," the man replied. He held both of his hands out, a smirk crawling onto his face, "Destruction, domination, that sort of thing."

"Can't you do that somewhere else?" the Warrant Officer asked, "Like in the South? It's warmer. You could get yourself a nice little villa in the sun."

"You are quite strange," the man said flicking out his black ponytail, "Want to join?"

"I'm good, but thanks for the offer," the Warrant Officer replied.

"What a pity," the man said as he slowly took off his gloves, "Although I do like to see things go boom."

The Warrant Officer looked at the man's hands to see two tattoos in the shape of transmutation circles. The Warrant Officer nodded, knowing full well this was probably going to hurt a little.

-X-

"Colonel," Breda's relieved tone welcomed Roy as he walked back into the office, "You're back."

"How's Hawkeye?" Fuery asked.

"Better," Roy told them, "Although she's in quite a bit of pain still. At least she's awake now."

"What are you doing back here, sir?" Falman asked, "I thought you were going to stay with her for a while."

"She ordered me to get back to my paper work," Roy explained. The four men let out a sigh.

"She's going to be fine," Breda said, "We'd worry more if she didn't care about your paperwork, sir."

"My thoughts exactly," Roy agreed as he went and sat in his chair, "Where is Rosalie?"

"She went outside for a sparing session with the three Majors," Fuery replied, "Al went with them to make sure they didn't go over the top."

Roy paled slightly.

"Sparring with Fullmetal, Leo _and _Armstrong?" Roy asked, standing up suddenly very alarmed. His three subordinates nodded. Roy opened and closed his mouth a few times, terror setting into his eyes. He was about to move when there was a loud explosion from outside followed by a yell that could only be Ed's. Roy hung his head in defeat. "In the future, don't let Rosalie spar with anyone."

"Yes, sir," his subordinates said with a snappy salute. The phone on Roy's desk rung. Roy picked it up, half expecting it to be Grumman asking what the explosion was or why Ed was suddenly hanging from the roof.

"Mustang," Roy said into the phone.

"Colonel, we're sorry to bother you but is Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc in the office?" said some personnel person on the other end of the line.

"He's not here presently," Roy replied, wondering why Havoc was wanted, "Why?"

"We are sending someone to talk to him," the personnel officer replied, "But it's nothing you should worry about, Colonel."

"Fine," Roy said, "He should be back in ten minutes."

"Thank you, sir," the officer said, "Good bye."

Roy put down the phone and let out another sigh.

"Who was that, sir?" Falman asked.

"Some person asking for Havoc," Roy explained, "What has he done now?"

The three soldiers exchanged looks as they pondered this question. Not two minutes later, Hughes and Havoc returned to the office.

"Well that was a complete waste of time," Havoc muttered as he went to his desk, "No one knows anything."

"No one else seems to know anything," Hughes agreed, "So, Roy, how's Hawkeye?"

"Awake," Roy replied. He looked at Havoc who was just lighting up another cigarette. "Havoc, some people are looking for you."

"Me?" Havoc asked.

"What have you been up to?" Roy asked, eyes narrowing at Havoc. Havoc began to sweat as everyone in the office glared at him. He looked round wondering why they were looking at him like that.

"Nothing," Havoc replied, "Honestly."

"No more drunken nights?" Breda asked.

"Maybe it's about that officer's daughter you dated a few months ago," Falman suggested, "It's about four months since then."

"What are you talking about?" Havoc snapped. He thought to himself. There was nothing he could think of which would get him into trouble.

"In any case," Roy said, "They're sending someone for you in a few minutes."

"It's been nice knowing you," Breda said. Havoc frowned slightly.

"Maybe you're getting a promotion," Fuery said.

"If it's anything," Hughes said, "It's that poor officer's daughter asking for child support."

"I didn't even sleep with her!" Havoc yelled, "For the thousandth time!"

"At ease, Havoc," Roy said. There was a knock on the door and two officers entered the room.

"We're looking for Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc?" one of them said. Havoc got to his feet.

"That's me," Havoc replied, "What can I do you for?"

"We're from the Department of Records," one of the soldiers, a sergeant, explained, "We just came to ask you a few questions."

"Ask away," Havoc said, "I have nothing to hide."

The two soldiers glanced at each other then at Roy and Hughes.

"Please, continue," Hughes said, "This could be quite interesting."

Roy nodded in agreement. The sergeant looked back at Havoc.

"Do you know a Warrant Officer Georgiana Asquith?" the sergeant asked. Havoc's face fell. The guys looked at him.

"Havoc?" Roy asked as he got to his feet.

"What's happened?" Havoc said taking a step closer to the two soldiers, "Tell me what's happened to her."

"She was on patrol when she was attacked," the sergeant explained quite calmly.

"And?" Havoc asked. He put his hands on the sergeant's shoulders, clasping them tightly, "Where is she?"

"We need to know if you knew anything about her which would have led to her attack," the sergeant asked calmly.

"Tell me where she is," Havoc snapped.

"Any enemies she might have," the sergeant went on ignoring Havoc.

"Where is she?" Havoc demanded.

"She is currently in the hospital at Briggs," the sergeant stated, "She'll be dead in a few hours."

"Colonel," Havoc said breaking away from the sergeant and walking over to Roy, "Please, I need to go to her."

"Havoc calm down," Roy said, "I'll see if I can get you there as soon as possible."

"Colonel," the sergeant snapped, "We are here to investigate the Warrant Officer's death. She was picked up by her unit and muttered the word 'crimson' to her unit leader. There is another person missing. We presume he has been taken prisoner by Drachmarans. So please let us do our job."

"Crimson?" Hughes said thoughtfully, "I'll take it from here boys. I'm currently investigating a case and I think this ties in with it. Please send me all the information."

"But Lieutenant Colonel," the sergeant said, "We've been ordered by General Armstrong."

"And I'm ordering you now," Hughes said, "I'll arrange everything with the General. No problem."

"Yes sir," the sergeant said sadly. The two officers left. Once the door to the office closed, all eyes turned to Havoc.

"Who is this girl, Havoc?" Roy asked. Havoc bit his lip.

"She was the sister of my childhood friend," Havoc said quietly, "After he died in the war, I promised to look after her but instead of being sent to the Briggs with her, I got stuck in the East. I'm the only family she has left. Her father abused her as a child. My mother ended up taking her in. Colonel, I need to go to her. Please."

Roy regarded Havoc for a few seconds before he nodded.

"Fine," Roy replied, "Make sure you're careful. Armstrong is slippery at best."

"Also, take Leo and Ed with you," Hughes chimed in. Roy glared at Hughes.

"What's that?" Roy asked.

"Leo has been tailing Crimson for a while," Hughes explained, "And I'm sure Ed wouldn't mind tagging along."

"Fuery," Roy said. Fuery jumped to his feet and saluted before rushing out of the office to pass on the message to Leo and Ed. Roy looked back at Havoc. "I'm sorry, Havoc."

"It's not your fault, sir," Havoc replied, "But thanks for letting me go."

"Get moving," Roy said, nodding towards the door, "And make sure the kids behave themselves."

"Sir," Havoc said with a salute before he rushed out of the room too. Hughes looked down at Roy.

"You're really letting him go?" Hughes asked.

"Imagine if it was Gracier in hospital," Roy replied. Hughes nodded as he understood. "Havoc may be a goof ball but I've never seen such helplessness in his eyes before."

"Let's hope he gets there before it's too late," Hughes agreed.

**Poor Havoc :( Will he get there in time? Will the kids be able to find Kimberlee? Will Rosalie kill Leo? Well, I don't know and I'm writing this! T_T Anyway, tune into the next chapter :)**

**Here, I'll give you a sneak preview because I'm nice: "Ed was stuck in a linen bin, Rosalie was stood to one side looking a little shocked, Al and Leo were stood on the other side of the bed peering to see what was going on."**

**I said I'd give you a preview, not that it'd make sense ;) Until next chapter!**

**RSx**


	14. Chapter 14

**Number 14 is up! Thanks to people who reviewed :) I'll try to update soooon! I need to find time to write though!**

**Chapter Fourteen – Briggs**

Rosalie shivered as they got out of their reasonably warm car. Havoc had been solemn ever since boarding the train in the East but they'd had no reason why he was like this. Rosalie, along with Ed, Al and Leo, had been sent to the Briggs to investigate the attack on a soldier and the disappearance of another. It was weird that Havoc was with them, but no one dared ask what he was doing there.

"Move it, Lee," Leo told his sister before she ran to catch up with them.

"It's too cold," she moaned.

"That's why they call it the Briggs," Leo snapped. He shivered too. It was colder than even he thought. Alphonse was the only one not to be affected by the cold so he was walking a little further ahead with Havoc.

"You think you're cold?" Ed said, "Try having a metal arm and leg!"

"That's your own fault," Rosalie commented. Ed glared at her. She stuck out her tongue but not for long. The three of them stopped when they saw the tall building which was the Briggs Headquarters. Each of them gulped before running to catch up with Havoc and Al. Havoc didn't seem phased by the building or the guards that were positioned above them. Rosalie ducked behind Ed as she saw the biggest, meanest looking officer she had ever seen. Leo and Ed didn't see him until Rosalie squeaked and hid. He was tall, muscular and had a chainsaw as his arm. Ed and Leo's jaws dropped. Even Al hung back slightly.

"Captain Buccaneer," Havoc greeted with a salute.

"Second Lieutenant Havoc," the man replied, eyes narrowing at Havoc, "You took your time."

"Sorry," Havoc replied as he rubbed his head.

"Who are they?" 'Buccaneer' asked, pointing his chainsaw arm at the four kids.

"They're investigating this," Havoc replied, "Majors Edward Elric and Leon Mustang, state alchemists, and their siblings Alphonse Elric and Rosalie Mustang."

"Mustang?" Buccaneer asked, "There's more than one of them?"

"Apparently," Havoc said, "Where's the hospital?"

"Sergeant Stevens will show you the way," Buccaneer said pointing to a nearby soldier. The soldier saluted and led Havoc away.

"He's here for a hospital check up?" Rosalie asked from behind Ed, "Long way to go."

"You four!" Buccaneer barked, "Inside, now!"

"Sir!" the four teens yelled, saluting and rushing inside. Buccaneer watched them run with an amused smirk on his face. This was going to be entertaining.

Havoc walked into the hospital and was pointed in the direction of Warrant Officer Asquith. Someone else was already round her bed. It was General Armstrong. The blonde General looked at Havoc as he gave her a salute.

"You're here?" the General asked, rising to her feet. Her tone was like ice as was her gaze but Havoc didn't seem to mind either. He merely nodded. "She's been asleep for a while. I don't think she'll wake up."

"She will," Havoc said, "Thank you for watching her."

"You may be in for a shock," Armstrong said. Havoc walked closer to the bed. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth opened in horror.

Warrant Officer Asquith was laid on the bed as pale as the snow outside. There was a mask on her face linking her to a machine. She was wrapped up in the Briggs uniform. The blue seemed too deep a colour for her flesh. Her hair was cropped in a boyish hair cut she had adopted a long time ago. Her eyes were closed tightly but her facial expression was relaxed. Havoc didn't notice these things. He was staring at her right arm or, rather, where her right arm should have been.

General Armstrong watched Havoc for a few seconds before putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Havoc nodded at the General as he took a seat beside the bed on Asquith's left side. He took her hand in his and began his wait. The General left to do other things now that someone was with Asquith. She stopped at the end of the corridor to see Buccaneer leading a group of three teens and a person in a suit of armour.

"Who are they?" Armstrong barked. She looked from the shorter blonde haired guy to another boy with black hair and an obnoxious face like a certain Colonel in Central to the younger girl with black hair to the suit of armour.

"They're from Central," Buccaneer explained, "Major Elric, Major Mustang and their siblings."

"Mustang?" Armstrong snapped. Both the black heads backed away when Armstrong spoke. The girl hid behind the blonde while the boy hid behind Buccaneer.

"We're his…" the boy tried to explain but chickened out when Armstrong's gaze intensified on him.

"Illegitimate children?" Armstrong asked, "You look young enough."

"Hey!" the girl snapped stepping forwards, "He's our brother. What sort of man do you think he is?"

"Do I need to answer that?" Armstrong asked. The girl's eyes narrowed at the General. Armstrong was impressed by her. "What are you children doing here?"

"We came to investigate the attack on some woman," the blonde boy replied, folding his arms over his chest. Armstrong glared at the blonde.

"And you are?" Armstrong asked.

"Edward Elric," the blonde replied, "The Fullmetal Alchemist."

"I'm Leo Mustang, the Lion Alchemist," the black haired boy squeaked.

"Rosalie Mustang," the girl stated. The General looked at the suit of armour and raised an eyebrow.

"Er, I'm Alphonse Elric," it said.

"Well, follow me," the General said as she turned and walked back the way she came. She showed them into the hospital room and pointed to where Havoc was sat. Havoc glanced round at the teens and offered them a smile. Rosalie wondered over to the bed and glanced over the woman laying in the covers.

"This is why you came here?" Rosalie asked, raising an eyebrow at Havoc. Havoc nodded.

"Yeah," Havoc replied with a sigh.

"That's the woman they found?" Leo asked the General.

"Yes," Armstrong said, "They found her about a mile away from the headquarters. She lost quite a bit of blood. If it wasn't for the fact we look out for bleeding snow, she may never have been found. Since she's been here so long, she had adapted to the weather and the cold. People do that here. We build up resistance. It makes us stronger."

"Any clues?" Leo went on, pulling a notebook from his pocket. He jotted down some of the things the General had just said.

"Her arm," General Armstrong stated, "Her arm was weird."

"Havoc, can you check her arm?" Ed asked. Havoc slowly began to push the sleeve up but the General stopped him.

"Not that one," the blonde officer barked, "The other one."

Havoc glanced across at Asquith's missing arm. Rosalie looked at it too.

"She lost her arm?" Leo asked, "How?"

"That's the mystery," Armstrong said, "We haven't seen anything like it."

Ed walked over to Rosalie's side and carefully began to undo the bandages on the stump of the arm. Havoc watched Ed carefully. Asquith's hand twitched in Havoc's. Havoc glanced down at Asquith's face to see her eyelids fluttering.

"Ed, stop," Havoc said. Asquith's eyes shot open. She immediately began to struggle. She ripped the face mask from her mouth and sat up. She kicked at Ed, knocking him to the floor. Asquith was just about to leap out of the bed when she tried to put her none existing arm onto the bed and she tumbled onto the floor with a loud swear word. Havoc jumped over the bed and grabbed Asquith's shoulders. Her eyes widened in recognition and she quickly buried her head in his uniform.

"She's fine," Havoc told the General. The General had quickly moved to the end of the bed when Asquith had attempted to get up. The blonde officer let out a sigh of relief.

"At least she's awake now," Armstrong said.

"What's going on?" Asquith asked. The brunette looked around at the strange people that were crowding her bed. Ed was stuck in a linen bin, Rosalie was stood to one side looking a little shocked, Al and Leo were stood on the other side of the bed peering to see what was going on. Havoc held Asquith tightly. "Why's Jean here? Who are you people? Where's the freaky dude with the sleazy white suit?"

"Sleazy white suit?" Leo asked as he jotted this down.

"It's fine, George," Havoc calmed Asquith. She moved her right arm so she could run her hand through her hair but she froze. She quivered slightly before closing her eyes.

"It's not there is it?" she asked Havoc.

"No," Havoc replied, "It's not."

"That explains why I fell off the bed," Asquith muttered. She swore once again. Rosalie walked over to Ed and pulled him out of the linen bin. "It's like it's there but at the same time, I know it's not."

Ed walked over to the Warrant Officer and crouched beside her.

"Do you mind if I have a look at it?" Ed asked. Havoc glanced up at the young alchemist. Asquith took a deep breath and nodded. She opened her eyes and looked at her stump. Ed took off the bandages fully. Asquith looked over the wound. It looked like it had been sealed with flames. Ed looked over it for a second or two before he put a hand to his mouth.

"Interesting," Ed mumbled. Asquith eyed the stump carefully before she started to move her stump up and down.

"Weird," she said, "That's weird. Hey, General, look at that."

Havoc let out a chuckle. He put a hand under Asquith's knees before he rose to his feet with her in his arms. He placed her gently back on the bed. Asquith seemed captivated by the fact that her arm was gone. She chopped at the place it should have been before retracting her hand quickly.

"That's so weird," she commented. Rosalie stepped forwards and looked at the wound.

"That looks like it's been blown off," Rosalie stated. Asquith looked at the younger girl.

"Is that what that was?" Asquith asked, "I saw he had weird tattoos on his hands and I just ran, but then he caught my arm and I was splattered with blood. I threw an arrow at him and he let go. Then the little ba-"

"George," Havoc said, "Children."

"He blew off my arm," Asquith snapped, "I'll call him whatever I like. It's just plain rude to blow off any body part of a person you've just met."

"What did he do then?" Ed asked.

"He shot me," Asquith said. She looked back at her stump. "Well, one thing's for sure. My father's going to make fun of me for this."

"George," Havoc sighed. Asquith looked at him. She offered him a small smile before she took his hand in hers. She squeezed it before looking back at Rosalie. The young girl was thinking hard.

"Lee?" Leo asked, "You seen this before?"

"I've done this before," Rosalie replied. Havoc's eyes widened.

"That man in the alley," Havoc said, "You did the exact same thing to him."

"You did that to a human?" Leo snapped, "How? Why?"

"That's awesome," Asquith commented from her bed. Everyone turned to look at her. "What? Can't I have an opinion about this?"

"What sort of medication are you on?" Leo asked the Warrant Officer. Asquith and Havoc looked around her bed but there were no drips or any signs of needles anywhere.

"It's simple really," Rosalie said, as if trying to move the conversation on, "You just break down the flesh and make go boom."

"She has the knack of blowing anything up," Leo explained to the rest of the room.

"So if you know how to do it," Havoc said thoughtfully, "Do you know anyone else who may be able to do it?"

"There's only one person I know of who is alive and could do that," Rosalie said as she pointed to Asquith's arm, "Solf J. Kimberlee: The Crimson Alchemist."

**Dun dun dun. Anyway I will update soon :)**

**A sneak peak into the next chapter: "He ran so fast out of that house," Asquith continued, "I think he became a priest not long after that."**

**See you next time!**

**RSx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed :) I know I haven't updated this in a while. I should really write more on this T_T **

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA**

**Chapter Fifteen- History**

Riza Hawkeye sat up in her hospital bed. She looked around at the room with a certain amount of boredom. Her side ached slightly. She couldn't move without pain shooting through her body. It had been quiet today. Usually someone would have popped in to see her by now with an update on the office but there was no one today. Hawkeye thought it was probably Havoc's fault. He'd probably been distracted at the nurses' station and had to be taken out of the hospital by security.

In the middle of her musings, the door opened.

"Thank you doctor," the voice of her commanding officer said as if he was talking to someone, "I'll bare that in mind."

Hawkeye glanced up as the ebony haired Colonel walked into the room. He looked distressed, tired and slightly relieved.

"Shouldn't you be working?" Hawkeye asked him. Roy let out a small chuckle as he closed the door.

"I have been trying," he admitted, "But Hughes is making it impossible."

"How is he?" Hawkeye asked, watching Roy as he took a seat at the end of her bed.

"Fine," Roy replied, "He's being a pain like usual."

"I was expecting Havoc to come and see me," Hawkeye said. Roy ran a hand threw his hair and let out a sigh.

"Havoc's gone to the North with Fullmetal, Leo, Lee and Al," Roy explained.

"You let Leo and Ed travel with Rosalie?" Hawkeye asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She'll keep them out of harm," Roy replied.

"Why did Havoc go with them?" Hawkeye asked.

"A friend of his was injured," Roy explained, "Someone he appears to be quite close to. The Department of Records seems to think they will die quite soon. I didn't have the heart to say he couldn't go."

"You softie," Hawkeye teased before biting her lip. Roy chuckled slightly.

"It's alright, Hawkeye," Roy said, "It's the medicine talking."

"Thank you, sir," Hawkeye said with a nod.

"I haven't heard from them since," Roy went on, "But I'm sure that's a good thing. If I don't hear about them, I know they're not in trouble."

"How do you know they're safe?" Hawkeye asked.

"Where Rosalie's concerned, no news is the best news," Roy said knowingly. Hawkeye smiled a little. "The doctors say you'll be able to come out in a few days."

"That's good," Hawkeye said, "I can get back to work soon."

Roy wagged a finger at his Lieutenant while grinning at her. She scowled at him slightly for doing this but he didn't pay any attention to her.

"The doctor also said that you'd need two weeks bed rest," Roy told her. The look on Hawkeye's face turned sour, making Roy chuckle slightly. "You know, most people would love to have two weeks off."

"Most people don't work with incompetent idiots," Hawkeye snapped. Roy laughed aloud as he got to his feet. Hawkeye was fuming inside at the news of being bedridden for two weeks. In that time a number of things could happen. For all she knew Roy could be killed by a mole in the ranks or worse, fired due to his work ethic. The other guys were just as bad and seeing as they weren't as trained as her, things could very well take a turn for the worst. Plus, Leo and Ed were in the North with Rosalie, Al and Havoc. This wasn't good at all. Hawkeye was brought out of her thoughts as Roy put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," Roy told her, "I'll keep my head down and work the best I can. If anything comes up were there's even the slightest chance I could die, I'll send Breda or Falman or Hughes."

"So noble," Hawkeye commented. Roy offered her a smile. "But I appreciate the gesture."

"Now you'd better rest up," Roy ordered, "I want you in tip top shape when you get back, OK?"

"Yes, sir," Hawkeye agreed with a slight bow of her head. She glanced up as Roy walked to the door of her room. "Sir."

Roy stopped and turned back to see what she wanted. Her facial features relaxed for a second as a small smile graced her lips.

"Please tell the men to work their hardest while I'm gone," she said. Her expression became its usual stern look. "Otherwise they'd better know how to run fast when I get back. They'll need to be able to dodge lead."

"Roger," Roy replied giving her a salute before he left the room. Hawkeye stared after the door after he had left, her features becoming sad once again.

"Please be safe," she mumbled as she grasped the blanket tightly in her hands, "I couldn't bare it if you got hurt."

-X-

Havoc and Asquith were sat in a rather dimly lit room with the four alchemists as they talked about Crimson. The two adults had unlit cigarettes balanced between their lips while watching the 'discussion' between the four teens bounce around the room. Havoc watched as Asquith tied her right sleeve in a knot. This seemed to grab the attention of the four teens as well. It was an odd move but Asquith seemed happy at the result.

"Moving on," Leo said as an awkward silence descended on the group, "What do we know?"

"Crimson is a dangerous criminal," Ed stated, "Who fought in Ishval and can use explosive alchemy. In these reports he's said to be quite psychotic but sees himself as a philosopher of some sort."

"He's been in prison for a while until a few years ago when he escaped," Al went on, "Which was weird since he just seemed to disappear for a while."

"Lee, you got anything to add?" Leo asked. The young girl thought for a few seconds but shook her head. Asquith glanced at Rosalie for a split second until Leo began speaking again. "So we can assume that he's dangerous and highly insane."

"We need to know more about him," Ed said thoughtfully.

"He was born in a small town called Erip," Asquith said, "Where he lived with his parents. His father died when he was five and his mother became an alcoholic. When he was thirteen he went to train with an alchemy teacher called Master Keegan who was a specialist in pyromaniacs. He took the State Alchemist exam when he was nineteen and passed it. When he was twenty he was shipped into the civil war in Ishval."

"How do you know this?" Leo asked growing annoyed. Havoc let out a sigh.

"We come from a town called Eston," Havoc explained.

"Eston?" Rosalie asked, jaw dropping slightly.

"You been there?" Havoc asked her. Rosalie nodded slowly, catching Asquith's eye once more.

"Yeah," Rosalie replied, "I've stopped in it for a night or two while travelling."

"Well, the alchemy teacher who lived there was Master Keegan," Havoc explained, "He used to make fireworks for the festivals every year. Kimblee studied there for a while. He used to hang round with Asquith's brother."

"Wait, so you know Kimblee and he blew your arm off?" Ed yelled, standing up. Asquith looked down at her arm before looking quite upset.

"He never did like me," she said, "Then again, not many of the boys did."

"Neither did the girls," Havoc added.

"So this Master Keegan," Leo said as Ed opened his mouth to yell once more. The blonde teen instantly shut up to let Leo continue. "Where can we find him?"

"He used to live-" Havoc began but Asquith stared at the table with a blank expression on her face.

"He's dead," she stated plainly.

"What?" Leo and Ed yelled, "Our only lead is dead?"

"At the time I was on leave," Asquith explained, "But the police detective called me to help with the investigation. No one could look at the body without throwing up so they called on me to do their dirty work. It was pretty beat up. Half his skull was blown off. It was nasty, nasty stuff."

"Wait, skull blown off?" Ed asked, eying Al cautiously. "What like?"

"Brains everywhere," Asquith said, "Although it was slightly amusing when a bit of brain dropped from the chandelier and landed on the detective."

"George," Havoc moaned as he put his head in his hands.

"He ran so fast out of that house," Asquith continued, "I think he became a priest not long after that. There was nothing taken from the house, just brains everywhere. Blood and brains. The geezer was killed instantly, probably not even aware that he was going to snuff it. He looked mildly surprised like something had caught his eye unaware. And he was in his nightwa-"

"Shut up!" Rosalie yelled suddenly, "He was a real living person! You shouldn't talk about him like that!"

Asquith began to laugh at Rosalie. The Warrant officer got to her feet and walked to the door of the room. She cast Rosalie a look before leaving the room entirely. Havoc let out a sigh.

"Sorry," Havoc said to Rosalie, "If we seem a little cruel about things, Rosalie, but you've got understand we've seen a lot of gruesome things. George handles it like that."

"How do you handle it?" Rosalie asked.

"Beer," Havoc replied, "Or whiskey. Either's good."

"So we know who this guy is," Al chimed, "We just need to think how to stop him."

Outside the door Asquith listened in. Those children were idiots to toy with the Crimson Alchemist. No one could ever stop him. Asquith leant on the wall and let out a shaky breath.

The Crimson Alchemist was on the loose and dangerous yet he was captured by a girl from a small Eastern City as if he was just an ordinary person. Yet, the girl would never get over the fact her two younger sisters were killed by the monster. The act of defeating him wasn't one of self defence or the goodness of the human spirit. It was pure anger and hatred. The girl was a little wiser now but useless. The only question Asquith could ask was why was she still alive?

"_You!" Crimson roared as the Warrant Officer pulled down her mask and took off her hat. She stared at the Alchemist for a few minutes, trying to work out what he would do. He was frozen in terror, or maybe just frozen. Asquith shook her hair loose. Crimson found his voice slowly. "You are going to pay for what you did!"_

_However, Asquith turned and ran as fast as she could, not risking the chance he may actually kill her, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back sharply._

"_You can't kill me!" she yelled, "I have a promise I have to keep!"_

"_What promise?" Crimson shouted. Asquith looked Crimson in the eye._

"_I promised I would never die! Not before him! Not so young! Now get off!" Asquith yelled. She pulled out her sidearm and fired at him. That's when he blew her arm off but she was free. _

"Asquith?" General Armstrong's shrill tone caused Asquith to jump a mile. She moved her right hand over her heart to steady the rhythm, only to remember the hand was no longer there. The blonde General regarded the Warrant Officer for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, Asquith… But we need to talk."

Asquith nodded before following the General to the meeting they both knew would be the end of things.

**Sorry but I have no sneak peek for the next chapter this time ^_^ I have yet to write it. Hehe. But do not fear, I shall write it soon :) Til next time!**

**RSx**


	16. Chapter 16

**It really has been too long since I updated this, but I've had a mega writer's block on this story T_T Now, however, I have some writing on this fic and also a plot. Oooooo. Look out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**

**Chapter Sixteen – Home**

Havoc opened the door into the office and let out a sigh. Roy glanced up to see the blonde officer stumble into the room. Havoc seemed to be exhausted as he walked across the room and slumped into his chair.

"You look like hell," Roy commented.

"Thanks, sir," Havoc replied, "You're the third person to tell me that today."

"Have you just got back?" Roy asked, returning to shuffling through some papers on his desk. Havoc nodded.

"I had to drop the kids in the East, apparently," Havoc explained, looking up at Roy. He supported his head in his hand with his elbow propped up on the desk. Roy glanced up and nodded. "And then had to deal with a group of very upset people."

"What did they do?" Roy asked.

"Not them," Havoc said, "Do you think I'm stupid enough to hang around long enough to see what they would do? No. It was George's hometown. They heard she was dead, you see."

"Will you be needing any time off?" Roy asked but Havoc shook his head.

"She's in Central at the minute," Havoc replied. Roy looked mildly surprised at this and couldn't help but smirk.

"So she's alright then?" Roy asked. Havoc didn't look too happy so Roy assumed that George wasn't going to be fully alright for a while. Havoc managed a smile.

"So when's Hawkeye joining us?" he asked.

"Soon, I hope," Roy replied, "I'm getting awfully sick of my officers confusing me over my paper work."

-X-

Rosalie looked round the old house. It was weird to see it in such a state. Everything seemed to be in a state of decay yet a lot of the stuff seemed to have been left untouched. Rosalie wondered through the dusty halls towards the library. The place was horribly quiet to say the last time she was here it was full of laughter. It had been far too long.

She wondered briefly if this was Roy went back to when his master died. Did he have this sense of lost hope like she did? She opened the door to the library and was attacked by a cloud of dust. She coughed loudly, the sound echoing through the emptiness. Rosalie wafted her hand in front of her face before she walked into the room. She looked round at the numerous bookshelves and pictures on the wall. Master Keegan liked to put up pictures in his study. They told of happier times in his life. His wife and daughter before they died; him with a few kids in the village a few years later; Solf Kimblee sat at a desk studying with his master and finally a picture of Rosalie and her master enjoying tea outside. She carefully reached up and took the pictures off the wall. She looked over each of them.

His wife had been quite pretty and likewise with his daughter. They died from a cholera epidemic a few years before the war, the same thing that claimed half of the village if Rosalie remembered rightly. The woman was fair haired and pretty in the face. The daughter had her mother's face but her father's dark hair. They were wearing elegant dresses, full of lace and other feminine features. Rosalie sniggered at the clothes, figuring that Master Keegan and his family were the upper class snobs that no body liked.

She looked at the second photograph and let out a small gasp as she gazed upon the young faces of the children of the village. Master Keegan was sat on a deck chair with a group of ten children around him. The children seemed to be dressed in their best clothing. It looked like they were having a tea party in his back garden. Rosalie smiled as she looked over the faces of the children. There were two boys stood next to each other, one grinning mischievously, the other smiling in a rather goofy manner. Rosalie paused.

"Havoc?" she muttered. She looked over the younger looking Jean Havoc and the boy next to him. Havoc had mentioned he grew up in this town so it was only natural for him to be there. He was wearing smart trousers, a shirt and a waistcoat. The boy next to him was wearing a similar thing but his shirt had short sleeves. The pair of them looked like a couple of troublemakers. Rosalie smiled as she looked across to find the only girl in the photograph. She had long curly hair, wearing a simple but pretty dress. She was perched on Keegan's chair, looking rather angelic but the way Keegan was glancing at her told a different story. He was wary of her. Rosalie giggled as she imagined the girl doing something horrible a few seconds later.

"Lee?" Rosalie looked up to see Ed walking into the room. He looked around the old study as he walked towards her. He glanced at the photographs in her hands. "What are those?"

"Just photographs," Rosalie replied. She handed him the one of Keegan with the children. Ed glanced over it before his mouth dropped open.

"That's Havoc," Ed pointed out, "So he did know Keegan then."

"Seems like it," Rosalie agreed.

"Who's the girl?" Ed asked. Rosalie glanced at the girl once more. She looked familiar but she couldn't put her finger on her name. In the end she shrugged.

"Let's take it back for Havoc," Rosalie said, "Maybe one of these people will be able to help us."

Ed looked at the other photographs as Rosalie passed them to him. She went to look at the various books on the shelves, forgetting that she was in one of those photos. Ed glanced at the picture of Keegan and Rosalie before he glanced up at Rosalie.

"You were his student, after all," Ed said quietly. Rosalie froze on her spot. She glanced at Ed nervously. Ed was giving her a look she didn't quite place. Was he mad at her? Was he going to tell Leo? He threw the photo frame on the floor, shattering it. He carefully picked up the photograph and handed it to Rosalie. She got the message. He wasn't going to tell anyone.

"My brothers never wanted me to learn alchemy," she stated quietly, "I always ended blowing stuff up. Like Roy used to set things on fire. Aunt Chris sent Roy to Master Hawkeye's to study fire alchemy since he seemed to have the knack of it. I decided to do the same so I could control it."

"I understand," Ed said, "You never wanted to do what Crimson did."

Rosalie shook her head: "Master Keegan was so upset when Kimberlee went mad in the war. He refused to teach me at first if it wasn't for one of the women in the village."

"A woman?" Ed asked. Rosalie nodded.

"She was pretty but slightly odd," Rosalie replied, "Said she was an alchemist also. Weird since female alchemists are somewhat rare."

"A female alchemist?" Ed asked, "What did she look like?"

"Why does it matter?" Rosalie asked.

"Like you said, female alchemists are rare," Ed replied, "So the chances of someone knowing her would be higher than looking for a male one."

Rosalie thought about this for a second before she nodded in agreement. It was true. The chances of finding a female alchemist were a lot higher than finding a male one, especially if that woman was a state registered alchemist. Rosalie thought about the woman for a few minutes until she frowned.

"I can't really remember her," Rosalie said slowly, "But I knew she was a good friend of Keegan's. Maybe he had a photo of her. He loved photography so he would have a photo of her if she was as close to him as I thought."

"Where would he keep his photos?" Ed asked. Rosalie looked around before she pointed to one of the high shelves. "How do we get up there?"

She looked at him with a knowing expression. Ed rolled his eyes before he knelt down. Rosalie took off her shoes and climbed onto Ed's shoulders. Ed slowly stood up, causing Rosalie to wobble slightly. She regained her balance quickly.

"Hurry it up," Ed moaned as he held onto Rosalie's feet to stop her toppling over. Rosalie quickly grabbed hold of a tin box that was on one of the shelves. She held in securely in her hands before she slipped off of Ed's shoulders. She landed gracefully on the floor in front of Ed. She handed him the box.

"Here it is," she stated, "The box of all his friends."

Ed and Rosalie emptied the contents of the tin box onto the floor and quickly sorted through the pictures. Finally Rosalie put her hands on a picture of a dark haired woman with a thin face. Her eyes were beady and black. Rosalie handed it to Ed. He looked at the woman for a few seconds before he turned it over. On the back it had one name. Lily Price.

"There we are then," Ed muttered, "We know where we have to go now."

-X-

Asquith drummed her fingers on the wooden desk as she waited for her meeting with the Fuhrer to begin. She totally doubted that the Fuhrer would be called for her but she didn't say anything of the sorts to the officers around her. Finally the door of the office opened and a woman stepped into the room. She was a tall and slender woman wearing the military uniform. Her hair was long, straight and dark. Her eyes were beady and black. Her face was quite long but youthful yet still older than Asquith was.

"I see you had a run in with the Crimson Alchemist," the woman said.

"No," Asquith replied, "I had some trouble with some fireworks and a short fuse."

"I see," the woman said, clearly not impressed by Asquith's sarcasm. Asquith glanced around the room, seeing three possible exits she could get to easily. "After all this time I finally get to meet you, Warrant Officer Asquith."

"A pleasure and a privilege, I assure you," Asquith replied with a nod.

"I am Lily Price," the woman greeted, "Head of the Fuhrer's Special Operations."

"Is that a… You know what, I don't want to know," Asquith said boredly, "So what does El Fuhrer want with me?"

"He has given you to me," Price said. Her voice was hollow and cold. Asquith raised an eyebrow at the woman. "After all, you are a very special case, are you not?"

"What ever do you mean?" Asquith asked blankly.

"You are the last of my special soldiers," Price explained, "Don't play dumb girl, you know perfectly what I'm talking about. The ability to survive in whatever environment with whatever injuries. It saved your life. Why, if it wasn't for that you wouldn't be in the state to visit me now, would you?"

"You're the one who designed me?" Asquith asked. Price nodded. Asquith leant back in her chair giving Price a suspicious look. Price nodded slowly making sure that Asquith understood she was serious. Asquith slapped her hand down on the table top. "Then what do you want with me now?"

"You're in need of a new arm," Prince said, "But I have much bigger plans than that for you."

"No," Asquith said. Price seemed alarmed at the blunt refusal of Asquith. "I know what you are like, Miss Price. You'll rebuild my arm. Then the other one and then my legs."

"It would make you the most deadly soldier in the country," Price said, trying to sound persuasive but failing miserably since Asquith had already made up her mind. Asquith leant into the desk.

"I am the most deadly soldier in this country," Asquith growled, "If you want someone to become your bionic toy, use your worst not your best. You don't want me broken."

"You talk sense," Price agreed with a nod, "But you will help us. You will be upgraded."

Asquith looked at her arm. She was going to get a prosthetic limb attached but not automail. The rehab for that would take years and she didn't really want to go through it. She wanted to retire. She wanted to go home and live out the rest of her days in her small country town. Yet she knew the military would never let it be so easy. She was their soldier, a rare thing that they wanted to mess with again.

"You wanted to retire," Price stated, "Is there anything we can do to convince you to stay?"

Asquith looked confused for a few seconds before she shook her head. Price smiled a cruel, dark smile before she opened her top draw and pulled out a brown file. She read for a few minutes.

"I see you were engaged once," Price stated. Asquith's eyes flashed. She leant back in her chair, regarding Price with a look of unease. "He's nice looking. It would be a shame if anything were to happen to him."

"Blackmail," Asquith said airily, "So bureaucratic."

"Blackmail is a nasty word, Major Asquith," Price said, smiling at Asquith for a few seconds. Asquith noted the rapid increase in her rank. "We like to call it a… call it a bargain, Major."

"No harm will come to him," Asquith demanded. Price nodded. "And I will not be part of your experiments. Fix me up with an arm and I'll do anything you ask apart from the things that interfere with points one and two of my bargain."

"You know how to make bargains, Major," Price commented.

"Yeah," Asquith replied, "Well, I've dealt with you before, Lily."

Price merely smiled her cruel, dark smile before she leant across the table, holding her hand out so that Asquith could shake on the deal. Asquith looked at the hand before grudgingly shaking Price's hand.

"Good to have you aboard, Major," Price said.

"I wish I could say the same thing," Asquith replied.

**I am not sure when I'll update this again but hopefully it should be soon :) Until next time!**

**RSx**


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